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...

Lough Warblings

Whitethroat

Grasshopper Warbler

With a morning off ,a new lense ,a touch of sun and my garden birds busy,which makes me feel like it could be a good morning birds, I headed over the hill to  Lickeen lough.
Lots of birds were busy around the fields, the sound of a singing Grasshopper warbler gained my attention but was hard to approach, but a close visit by a Whitethroat was nice.
Sedge and Willow warblers were also seen

No Tresspassing

A perfect wave breaks in a cove near a headland.
There is a way down to the cove.
The sign says `No Tresspassing`.

Lahinch marsh

An evening birding locally at Lahinch marsh was good with an adult Med Gull that was sharing the sandbank with various gulls,Sandwich terns .A Kingfisher was back and forth the river posts.Lapwing, Common sandpiper,Dunlin, and Curlew were along the low tide banks, and i sank to the waste in a hidden silage dump and broke a 2 month old Sandmartin egg in my chest pocket that i found on the tide line..I STANK! of cow pat and rotten egg.

Oh Deer

While driving through the country lanes in south Limerick we spotted a Fawn stroll into the long weeds in a field, an inquisitive head of the mother shortly followed..i wonder if they belong to a private estate

Kilbaha

Lighthouse inn

Keatings bar

An evening camping with the kids ,an evening at the pub , a morning breakfast at the inn. Summertime peace at Kilbaha harbour , South Clare.

Young Swallow

A windy couple of days probably wore this liitle fellow out, i found him in the road warming up out of the wind.

A Doolin july sunset

Nesting Med Gulls

spot the Med gull

During my annual visit to a Sandwitch tern colony , i finally found a nesting pair of Mediteranian Gulls among the Black headed gulls, these birds were also my first summer plumage birds that i have seen

digitalis purpurea alba

Quite impressive were these white foxgloves i came across while out walking...never forget that they are viciously posionus