Some pictures I took recently

keps

What a lovely day it was today -warm for a change:)


Lucan Demesne

Hooded Crow




Not sure what berries are available to eat in March? Male Blackbird.




Goldcrest




Long -tailed tit




Nice to see two Grey Wagtails together!



Robin

whyulittle

hollster2 wrote: »

Grey wagtail?

Correct.

keps wrote: »

Not sure what berries are available to eat in March?

Munching on ivy berries.

hollster2

Keps I seen a long Tail tit today was looking online everywhere trying to see what type of bird it was Thanks for that

gzoladz

whyulittle wrote: »

Correct.




Munching on ivy berries.

And shortly blackbirds should start feeding on worms. I think they change their feeding habits depending on what is available. Berrys in winter, worms in summer?

keps

Lucan Demesne today.


Because of all the activity now in and around the weir( related to its upgrading as a canoeing facility) - I moved further afield today- and I got lucky.
In a place where I rarely even looked - I today caught a glimpse of those distinctive kingfisher colours.

And then managed to get a few pics.

Staring into the river-



Starting a dive


Emerging with fish Caught!



Mealtime


Ouch




Dead





Down it goes



Now what's for dessert?

splish

Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae today near Kildavin.

whyulittle

Another nice display while sitting on the front step this afternoon!

Spotted this Sparrowhawk already up pretty high. It kept going higher and higher in the thermals with the occasional flap of its wings. It pulled away slightly before then going into a massive stoop, when I lost sight of it behind some distant trees.

keps

Spotted this guy on the far bank today

I presume it's a mink - it's my first time seeing one.

looks like a large fish beside him- could he have taken that himself?

mikka631

keps wrote: »

Spotted this guy on the far bank today

I presume it's a mink - it's my first time seeing one.

looks like a large fish beside him- could he have taken that himself?

It's a Mink alright, another illegal immigrant on the wildlife front:mad:. While I love wildlife these are best viewed when dead, absolute vermin. I have had them try and take bait from my bag when out fishing and they can be quite vicious.

mikka631

Reed Bunting (Male) at Lough Boora, Co Offaly

chrisb1

Nice pike he has the fecker

keps

chrisb1 wrote: »

Nice pike he has the fecker

Would he have killed it - or just stumbled on it dead?

mikka631

keps wrote: »

Would he have killed it - or just stumbled on it dead?

I would regard Mink as opportunistic and a Pike of that size would not be an easy catch for it though it would be possible. It looks like a fresh kill and looks like it was also full of Spawn so a great loss to that part of the river

Capercaillie

mikka631 wrote: »

I would regard Mink as opportunistic and a Pike of that size would not be an easy catch for it though it would be possible. It looks like a fresh kill and looks like it was also full of Spawn so a great loss to that part of the river

I think pike have recently been proven to be native?

keps

That is a bit sad to read:(.... maybe I should remove the photo from the thread

Capercaillie

keps wrote: »

That is a bit sad to read:(.... maybe I should remove the photo from the thread

Don't. People need to see the good and the bad.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

keps wrote: »

That is a bit sad to read:(.... maybe I should remove the photo from the thread

It's a nature photo and is showing a reality of nature. Not sad at all.

hollster2

don't remove keps good photo, Im just in awe too of the kingfisher ones:D

gzoladz

Fantastic photos Keps!

obrano

Lucky enough to be in the Galapagos at the moment. Here's a few bird photos I took. Please let me know if I've got the descriptions wrong. I have some of the Galapagos Penguins and Swallow Tailed Gulls on my hard drive. Yet to get one of the rare lava gull.

Blue Footed Boobie:
Blue Footed Boobie by obrano, on Flickr

Galapagos Dove:
Ready to Launch by obrano, on Flickr

Yellow Warbler:
Yellow Warbler by obrano, on Flickr

splish

Alder Alnus glutinosa



Bush Vetch Vicia sepium

mikka631

Robins posturing. A lot of scrapping going on the past few days.

vistafinder

Splish can you name this beautiful flower for me?


untitled-3688.jpg by vistafind, on Flickr


untitled-3685.jpg by vistafind, on Flickr

splish

Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa. Great shots, still waiting to get some pics of this myself this year.

vistafinder

Thanks! There was lots of it in the woods I was walking in today very nice..

keps

Saw that or another mink today and he frightened the bejaysus out of two ducks who were just minding their own business on a log of wood on the far bank.

A short while after I noticed this mallard quite high up in a tree




Could they be thinking of a tree nest?

keps

The one that got away:rolleyes:


Yesterday when I saw the kingfisher dive- I immediately turned the camera downwards to catch its entance into the water.... but their speed is such( or my slowness is such) that this is all I got.

splish

Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna

whyulittle

Out the back garden this time! There is a quick video in the video thread as well.

splish

7-spot ladybirds out enjoying the sun during the week.