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Magical Mossy Glen. #forestglen #forest #woods #moss #IrishForest #WoodlandWalks #GoldenHourMagic #NaturePhotography #EvergreenTrees #MossyLandscapes #ForestVibes #TwilightViews #WildIreland #NatureLovers #smartphonephotography #photography

That piercing blue eye watches as it takes flight, a morsel in tow.
#birdphotography #ireland #irishwildlife #crow #crows #danCroninPhotography #thatpiercingblueeye #takingflight #morsel #wildireland #naturephotography #instabird #photooftheday #picoftheday #birding #birdlife #wings #flight #exploreireland #discoverireland #theirishoutdoors #instaireland #blueeye #commonblackbird

There was a kestrel out trying to hunt yesterday and it was being constantly harassed by some of the house martins or swallows that nest nearby. It eventually gave up.

I need a much longer lens for this sort of stuff but you can tell it’s a hawk of some sort at least.

#WildIreland

Kestrel flying against a backdrop of clouds seen side on from slightly below.

The bird is mostly shadowed but you can see the distinctive shape of a raptor’s head and its light brown body behind the wing.

Kestrel flying against a backdrop of clouds seen side on.

The bird is mostly shadowed but you can see the distinctive shape of a raptors head, a light brown body behind the wing, and its wings held high as it looks straight down.

Kestrel flying against a backdrop of clouds above some distant sea cliffs and a sliver of sea seen side on.

The bird is mostly shadowed but you can see the distinctive shape of a raptors head, a light brown body behind the wing, and its wings held high as it looks straight down and prepares to stoop.

On what my grandmother would have called a ‘pet day’, an unexpectedly fine day more or less, I got treated to a fabulous array of insect life on a walk out in the dune grasses of the Cunnigar.

I saw about a dozen of these huge Blue Emperor Dragonflies, hundreds of bumblebees and bees, and thousands of Burnett moths.

#biodiversity #WildIreland #photography #waterford #ireland

A Blue Emperor dragonfly resting on a vertical dried out bramble branch. This is a 7 to 8cm long insect with a wide apple green thorax and long thing metallic blue abdomen. Its four transparent wings are fully outstretched with the gossamer veins in sharp focus above a soft out of focus background of dune grass.

A Blue Emperor dragonfly viewed from the righthanging vertically from the end of a dried out bramble branch surrounded by grass.

This is a 7 to 8cm long insect with a wide apple green thorax and long thing metallic blue abdomen. Its four transparent wings are fully outstretched with the gossamer veins in sharp focus against the background of dune grass.

White tailed bumblebee feeding on pollen from the purple flowers of a spike sea holly plant.

This is a round hairy bee with a mostly black body with two yellow bands on its thorax and a white tail that barely visible here.

Sea Holly’s a very spiky dune plant and the flower heads are surrounded by a ring of seven silvery grey spiky leaves. The flower head is a half sphere of feathery small purple florets that fade in to green at their base.

Three red and black Burnett Moths feeding on a bright purple thistle flower.

A slightly out of focus shredded dandelion seed head is just visible in the foreground on the upper left.

The somewhat domesticated pheasant is back. I think it might actually have some sort of injury and is actually unable to fly as it only seems to walk/hop around.

#WildIreland
#waterford #birds #birdphotography

Male common European pheasant side on standing in a patch of cropped meadow grass looking from right to left.

This is a medium sized bird about 50cm beak to tail with a brown mottled body, white collar, blue punage around its head with a bright red patch around its eyes.

My favourite group of choughs were back to accompany me on my walk this morning. They were very shy today but just as chatty as ever.

#WildIreland
#waterford

A group of three choughs, completely black corvids with red beaks and feet, in a patch of close cropped dune grass.

Two choughs, completely black corvids with red beaks and feet, taking flight from a small patch of close cropped dune grass.

A group of two choughs, completely black corvids with red beaks and feet l, facing each other with open beaks in a patch of close cropped dune grass.

This definitely looked like a kestrel to me in flight, it was frozen rock solid in the air occasionally jinking a bit as it followed its target on the ground. It was a long way off in poor light so the photos aren’t great.

However, in the second shot I’m pretty certain I can see jesses strached to its talons and it seems too dark to be a kestrel. I wonder if there is a falconer around here.

#WildIreland
#waterford

Falcon in flight hovering as it follows prey directly below it silhouetted against a grey sky.

Falcon (Kestrel maybe?) hovering as it stares down at some prey while silhouetted against a grey sky.

There is a faint indication of mottled plumage behind the wings.

What appear to be leather jesses are trailing behind and below the tail.

I had an interesting visitor at lunchtime today. I’ve never seen one in my garden before.

Pheasants are pretty common further inland from here where there is a little bit more cover than there is out here at the end of the peninsula.

It was not shy at all either which can’t be a good strategy for a bird that is actively hunted.

#WildIreland #waterford

Common pheasant viewed from the side facing left standing in a patch of freshly mown meadow grass.

This is a medium sized bird, approximately 50cm long, with a brown mottled body, turning to russet on the underside with a white collar, dark blue head and a prominent red patch surrounding the eye and cheek.

Anyone know what this? I found this one example on a long slow walk among the dunes looking for interesting and unusual plants and this was the only thing rather jumped out as distinctly different. It was about 20 cm high.

Apple photos tells me it’s probably Red Bartsia (Odontites vernus), which I haven’t heard of before and the pictures I have seen don’t look quite right.

#bloomscrolling #WildIreland

Small ground level wild plant found amongst sand dunes. It consists of a cluster of upwardly curving stems with spear like opposing sets of green leaves arranged roughly in a bowl around the central root point. Some of the stems are changing to purple with small ping flower heads appearing on the upper half or so of each stem.

The Pyramidal orchids in the dunes around Dungarvan Bay are starting to go to seed but quite a few are still putting on a very good show.

#waterford
#bloomscrolling
#WildIreland

Purple rounded conical flower composed of many small florets against a blurred out of focus background of dune grasses. (Pyramidal orchid)

Purple rounded conical flower composed of many small florets on a single narrow green stem against a backdrop out of background of grasses. (Pyramidal orchid)

Pale pink rounded conical flower composed of many small florets against a blurred out of focus background of dune grasses with a handful of rounded grass blades crossing in the foreground . (Pyramidal orchid)

Purple rounded conical flower composed of many small florets on top if a single narrow green stem about 25cm tall shown in context among some dog rose plants on the left and surrounded by an assortment of dune grasses. (Pyramidal orchid)

Some more of the orchids from today’s walk along with a Stonecrop in bloom.

#biodiversity #orchids #WildIreland #waterford #ireland

Pyramidal Orchid in full bloom.

This a small 4 cm tall flower head with dozens of small three lobed purple florets tightly packed in a slightly bulbous cone giving it its name.

The soft focus background is of dune grasses with a small blue flower that’s possibly a Forget-me-Not just below the orchid.

Pyramidal Orchid starting to cone into bloom with the bottom half of its flower head fully open.

This a small 3 cm tall flower head with dozens of small three lobed purple florets tightly packed in a slightly bulbous cone giving it its name.

The soft focus background is of dune grasses, a buttercup, and a couple of buttercup seedheads.

Pyramidal Orchid in almost full bloom.

This a small 3 cm tall flower head with dozens of small three loved purple florets tightly packed in a slightly bulbous cone giving it its name.

The out of focus background of dune grass blades and the distant water of the bay provides a soft contrast with the bright purple flower and its single stem.

A Stonecrop stem covered in its bulbous fleshy leaves is topped off with a five lobed yellow flower and a couple of unopened buds. Sone more open stonecrop flowers surround its base. The clump is nestled amongst some leaf litter and the wire grid from a coastal defence to slow down erosion at this spot.

Some early summer butterflies and bees from the sand dunes of the Cunnigar in Dungarvan Bay.

The weather hasn’t been great for insects lately and there were relatively few butterflies for the time of year but the Bumblebees were out in force.

There were no Bee Orchids to be found today sadly but there are hundreds of purple Pyramidal Orchids out now.

#biodiversity #butterflies #orchids #WildIreland #waterford #ireland

Green veined white butterfly feeding on a small purple clover flower surrounded by wiry dune grasses.

The butterfly is side on facing left and slightly upwards as it is resting with its wings closed on the clover flower.

Meadow Brown Butterfly hiding amongst some blades of grass viewed from above and slightly to the right.

Its wings are mostly closed so you can just barely see one of the spots on its upper left wing.

Six Spot Burnett Moth resting on a small Pyramidal orchid.

The moth’s wings are closed showing the distinct sets of red spots on its iridescent black wings.

The orchid is set against a blurred background of green grass and some dried out grass stems.

A small Bumblebee that looks a bit like a White-Tailed Bumblebee but it has a white band on its abdomen and a white tail and only a single yellow band on its thorax.

The bee is seen side on feeding from a white clover flower with sone grass order greenery in the near background and a very out of focus sand bank in the middle distance.

There is a large pellet of collected pollen on the bee’s rearmost leg.

The weather (I assume) has had a remarkable impact on the flowers and insect life I was able to find on the Cunnigar on a walk earlier today.

This time last year, I was finding lots of pyramidal and bee orchids, and many species of butterfly by May 27. Only the hardiest have surfaced here so far this year.

#bloomscrolling #WildIreland

Purple Speedwell flower amongst the dune grasses.

Slightly ragged Creeping Buttercup against a very dark m, almost black, background.

Dog Rose flower in amongst blades of green grass.

Cinnabar Moth with its red and black wings outstretched as it launches itself back off a blade of dry grass towards the camera.

I got an unexpected day off today so I headed over to Ardmore to do the cliff walk.

I was rewarded with what I’m pretty sure was a sighting of a basking shark. The fin certainly looked like it. Definitely megafauna.

The dorsal fin rose about 30-50cm from the water. There was a boat nearby to get a scale from. I watched for about 15 minutes as it circled around one particular spot before it disappeared and I never saw any indication of a blow.

#WildIreland #Ireland #waterford #BaskingShark

Possible basking shark spotted on the west side of Ardmore Bay. All that can be seen is a right angled fin sloping from right forwards to the left with a slight head bump /snout tip visible a metre or two to the left.

The dorsal fin that is visible rises about 30-50cm from the water. There was a boat nearby to get a scale from.

Possible basking shark spotted on the west side of Ardmore Bay. All that can be seen is an angled fin sloping generally to the left.

The sea was extremely calm, the slight ripple on the surface was 2-3 cm at most.

The dorsal fin that is visible rises about 30-50cm from the water. There was a boat nearby to get a scale from.

Some spring flora on the Cunnigar today.

#bloomscrolling #WildIreland #waterford

Yellow Iris flower against a dark background.

Furze branch densely covered in yellow flowers against an out of focus background of pale blue sky over a dark blue sea.

A small light green Arum Lilly just opening up tucked away in the grass.

Broomrape flowering body peaking up out of the grass.

The SPA Conservation Objectives document for Dungarvan Harbour points this out as a risk.

Would be nice to see something done about it.

https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/004032_Dungarvan%20Harbour%20SPA%20Supporting%20Doc_V1.pdf

#WildIreland #conservation #waterford

While the river waters entering the site are classified as of good quality (SERBD, 2010a), the South Eastern River Basin District Transitional and Coastal Waters Action Plan (SERBD, 2010b) classifies the waters of Dungarvan Harbour as 'Moderate' because of below-par recorded levels of dissolved oxygen (DO). The Colligan Estuary is also classed as 'Moderate' based on DO and opportunistic algae. While the Colligan is deemed 'at risk' from point source discharges (WWTP's, combined sewer overflows, treatment plant overflows and local authority licensed discharges), the transitional waters of Dungarvan Harbour are deemed 'at risk' from nutrient inputs. DoEHLG (2009) suggest that the predominantly agricultural nature of the catchment plus livestock densities and fertiliser usage at higher levels than the national averages, highlights agriculture as a contributory factor.

I can’t be sure but I suspect that the effect that the continuing Nitrates derogation has on the quality of the water draining off the land around Dungarvan bay is visible in these pictures.

Lots and lots of green algae gunge in the intertidal zone on the Cunnigar. This area is always a bit messy but this year it’s entirely blanketed the samphire that grows in this spot. I’ve never seen it like this before.

And it’s in a ‘Special Protection Area’ too.

#WildIreland #conservation #waterford

View of an intertidal area with an expanse of sand covered in dried out bright green algae. Some dune grass, sand, and otter foreshore plants can be seen around the alga covered area. Green fields can be seen rising in the distance about 2 km away.

Foreshore grass and samphire covered in a dried out thick mat of green algae.

I’m very curious about this little clump of black stuff I noticed on a windswept elder tree branch yesterday.

Initially I thought it was the remnants of burning but there’s no way it got burned there unless someone literally held a blowtorch up to just that spot.

So I assume it’s a fungus of some sort. Does anyone know?

For reference it’s growing among some grass covered sand dunes about 50m from the sea.

#biodiversity #flora #WildIreland