Grey Wagtail -Caher Valley

Beautiful day shining down on the Caher Valley .

Grey Wagtails can be seen all along this clear river passage all year round.

Back in the Willows

Willow Warblers are singing in the spring 

Ballyeighter Lough

Ballyeighter Loughs are a series of waterways that wander there way through Limestone and thick reed bog on the Burren lowlands. A very sparce, open wilderness.

Greylag Geese and Mute Swan were seen as well as local nesting birds such Common Gull,Lapwing and Moorhen

The old Post box

March Swells

Slieve Callan

On a nice morning I set off to walk up Slieve Callan , the countys 3rd highest peak.
The views from here are very special as you can see south across the Shannon estuary and down though the border of Limerick and Kerry.
I got to see a Peregrine Falcon, Hen Harrier and a few Grouse otherwise it was very quiet with just pools of frog spawn.
A nice walk up through a quiet Pine forest became difficult as I took the wrong path back down and had to just walk it out.Certainly not a place for inexperienced.

Trametes versicolor, Turkeytail fungus

Trametes versicolor, Turkeytail fungus (Meaning 'of several colours', versicolor reliably describes this mushroom found in different colors) can be found all through the year, but it is most obvious in the winter months when deciduous trees are bare. This very variable fungus grows mainly on dead hardwood, including stumps and standing dead trees as well as fallen branches.
These annual bracket fungi can be found all the year round, but they are at their best in autumn and winter, which is when they release their spores.

 

Evening Sunset at Doolin reef

Three days of quality waves at Doolin shared with three fantastic sunsets.

Cold evenings in a crisp clear sky.

Richard Brangwin

An Evening at Lahinch Bay

An evening at Lahinch Bay.

Many of us use the beach and `prom`.

Some walk and swim at sunlight, some walk the dogs during the day, some bring the children to the park

It can be a place to share a moment with a family member, or a place to be alone and gather your thoughts.

Its a blip on the map...but its our blip and we love it.

We all start our walk at village end , we breathe the sea air as we walk north.

Its becomes a peaceful area as the sun goes down.

                                                The dropping tide leaves the slipways

Fieldfare

A flock of Fieldfares gather in trees before decending into the fields surrounding my home.

These nomadic, winteringThrushes will soon return to Scandanavia to breed.

Never an easy bird to get close to.

Great northern Diver - Liscannor Harbour

A quick visit to the harbour gave a chance of a Great Northern Diver photo.

One of 3 Divers here today all in winter plumage.

A few Gulls were on the harbour walls facing the wind

  

Lahinch Marsh. The unknown

Due to inaccessibility Lahinch salt marsh is a unknown to many local people. 

An untouched wildlife refuge,stretching from Lahinch rivermouth all the way up to the Cascades in Ennistymon

Over the years Ive seen Osprey ,Glossy Ibis ,Hen Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, Otters, Kingfishers, Goosanders and various Geese just to mention a few.

 Waders, Terns & Gulls roost on the open sandbanks above the rivermouth , while all the way up the marsh Cormorants and Little Egrets roosts in the wood that overhangs the river.

The marsh is subject to good flooding which fertilizes grass patches,wild flowers such as  Bee Orchids, Pyramidal Orchids, Yellow Rattle and Eye Bright flourish.

Green Sandpiper - Ennistymon

During the winter floods a Green Sandpiper has frequented a pool in a field alongside the main road into Ennistymon.

Ive seen the bird on various days as im doing the school run.

Today the sun was out and the traffic wasnt busy.

I managed a couple of shots out of the car window.

The Rivermouth Bank

A very decent swell was entering Lahinch bay.

I got an early surf at Cregg and my day was done, later on I left the house for a short coast drive.

A very rare sandbank out from the rivermouth was producing top quality rights with just a few lucky surfers out.

This wave may never be seen again.

Jeff (me) at Cregg in the morning