Osprey down the marsh

An Osprey graced the marsh down at Lahinch . A very dull grey evening , but the bird showed well ,perching on high posts,circling the marsh ,and making swoops on the water surface after Mullet, it was late and the bird moved off to roost....special that was.

Cliften Bridge

A tunnel under a road on a hillside in a wood.

Glaucous Gull at Loop

 In a field near Ross bay , Loop head, this heavy looking Glaucous Gull was marching the  farm fields with Herring Gulls and Lesser Blacks .
 Large Gulls normally tend to be easy to watch, but here today was a certain nervousness about theses Gulls and were very flighty. Wonder why?

The Drinker

The Drinker Moth recieves its name from the habits of the caterpillar, which is supposed to have a liking for drops of dew.

Ruff Justice

The Bird in the middle..........
While back at Quilty beach again , birds were continuing to stop off and pass through.
Some Redshanks and Knot were feeding at lowtide that i noticed were joined by a Ruff, but what was the small pink bird ?
 At distance I thought the bird was a Buff breasted sandpiper , with its colour and smaller size ,especially while standing next to the Ruff..I was convinced."Tell the world".
Later on ..while checking the photos..i now believe this maybe a juvenile Ruff ..

Ruff

A Ruff was eyeing up insects near to the run off tunnel on Quilty beach.....This bird walked into my sight while i was taking a Dunlin photo,.. i was quite suprised, but it did`nt stay long.

The Turnstones

A small flock of Turnstones were milling around rocks close to the waves in Doolin Harbour.

27 Black-tailed Godwits

27 Black-tailed Godwits grace the beach at Quilty, not all that common on the west coast ,probably Icelandic birds passing through. Later on these birds relocated  at Lough Donnell.

A few birds on Quilty beach

BTG and Knot

Dunlin

Knot

Mallard

Sanderling
Waders are starting to arrive on our shores. Today at Quilty beach Black-tailed Godwits, Turnstone, Knot, Dunlin, Sanderling, Curlew and large numbers of Ringed Plover were feeding up on the dropping tide. The usual Gulls and Mallard ducks were also present

Blue Tit

If any bird can bring a smile its the Blue Tit.These small birds love gardens and bird feeders and are a pleasure to have around the home, the kids love them ,and is one of the birds that children learn first to identify.

A beach just south

When an August hot weather period drives people west to swim and surf in the towns area ,its nice to know a few places to escape to with the family.Only in Ireland these places exist.

Whitestrand Sand Martins

Sand martin nestling

Sand Martin

Whitestrand

Whitestrand is a relatively safe , quiet bay , The Sand Martins that nest here yearly seem always to do well, a combination of fields of cows and a beach with decomposing seaweed produce plenty  of flies, Gnats and other food items

The Burren bits

Bottom of Mullaghmore

SelfHeal (prunella vulgaris)

Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar

Bumble Bee on Knapweed

Nursery Web Spider

A nice wonder with my daughters around the base of Mullaghmore, we were watching Dragonflys, Spiders ,Bees and Caterpillars.. The Burren flowers were given the rocky grounds some colour

The Moon

The Moon was full last night..at the end of the month there will be a Blue moon, not named because of its colour but due to being 2 full moons in a month.
The most literal meaning of blue moon is when the moon (not necessarily a full moon) appears to a casual observer to be unusually bluish, which is a rare event. The effect can be caused by smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere, as has happened after forest fires in Sweden and Canada in 1950 and 1951 and after the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, which caused the moon to appear blue for nearly two years. Other less potent volcanos have also turned the moon blue.

Bullfinch

Now here is a bird i seldom get to photo but see on a daily basis, normally Bullfinch see you before you see them. With children still on holiday and work commitments a small spot of local birding is all im fitting in...