Some pictures I took recently

gzoladz

keps wrote: »

@Gustavo

Super photos-:)

Thanks keps 😀

keps

today

dipper

Hotei

Yellowhammer






April shower

bernard0368

gzoladz

Queen and King...Fisher!

whyulittle

Nice of keps to loan them out to you.

gzoladz

whyulittle wrote: »

Nice of keps to loan them out to you.

LOL!!! These were actually in "my" part the Dodder 😀

keps

whyulittle wrote: »

Nice of keps to loan them out to you.

To be honest - Gustavo has a much better 'hit' rate than me for Kingfisher photos on the Dodder.
I had a few 'perches' sussed on the Liffey when I lived in Leixlip up to 8 months ago but am struggling to get decent photos here in the Milltown area - but I'm working on it by putting in the hours:)

gzoladz

keps wrote: »

To be honest - Gustavo has a much better 'hit' rate than me for Kingfisher photos on the Dodder.
I had a few 'perches' sussed on the Liffey when I lived in Leixlip up to 8 months ago but am struggling to get decent photos here in the Milltown area - but I'm working on it by putting in the hours:)

The very first kingfisher I saw and photographed was introduced to me by keps, in St Catherine's park there in Leixlip!

keps

robin

morana

Was able to walk up to 5ft from this guy without him flinching. had only my phone but its not too bad. he/she is regularly there just hanging around

keps

Today


'Like water off a Dipper's back'
Big enlargement- hence pretty grainy

dipper

vandriver

Nice

keps

This morning


just one more dipper

Hotei

Cuckoo Bumblebee
This is a female cuckoo bumblebee, and one of six cuckoo bumblebee species in Ireland. This is a difficult one to identify for certain because the females of two separate species are very similar looking in the field, namely Bombus bohemicus (Gypsy cuckoo bumblebee) and Bombus vestalis (Vestal cuckoo bumblebee). Cuckoo bumblebees are so named because a female will lay her eggs in the nest of a true bumblebee, and the workers of this host species will raise the offspring of the cuckoo bumblebee.






Honey bee Apis mellifera






Hoverflies
Helophilus pendulus (Common Tiger Hoverfly) on the left, and Eristalis pertinax (Tapered Drone Fly) on the right.




Common Groundhopper (f) Tetrix undulata




Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina

mossie

Came across this little guy while I was cutting the lawn today. He's been around for the last 3 hours or so digging for food, and at one stage took a nap for an hour or so. Took absolutely no notice of me around the place but I didn't cut the lawn anywhere near him for safety,

keps

@mossie

Hope it's ok health wise

Had one in my garden last year in Leixlip.
It was groggy and tired -and dead within 24 hours

mossie

keps wrote: »

@mossie

Hope it's ok health wise

Had one in my garden last year in Leixlip.
It was groggy and tired -and dead within 24 hours

Seems fine was nosing around for ages, dozed for a while then back and active.

keps

robin

bernard0368

flyingsnail

2017_04_22_6675


2017_04_22_6736

gzoladz

Kingfisher in the Dodder... I didn't see the male this time

pegasus1

Regarding KingFishers..
Sorry to bring this up again..
We just had a speaker in the club and he has studied the kingfisher and has taken some amazing shots..
He has said that if someone is caught by a wildlife ranger from the npws etc, one could be fined €5,000 and one just needs to be bear the nest.
And he is not somebody random from a camera club he will be the next ipf chairman..
You need a license in order to take pics of kingfishers..but still not disturb them.
Just my 2 cts.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

pegasus1 wrote: »

Regarding KingFishers..
Sorry to bring this up again..
We just had a speaker in the club and he has studied the kingfisher and has taken some amazing shots..
He has said that if someone is caught by a wildlife ranger from the npws etc, one could be fined €5,000 and one just needs to be bear the nest.
And he is not somebody random from a camera club he will be the next ipf chairman..
You need a license in order to take pics of kingfishers..but still not disturb them.
Just my 2 cts.

Being that time of year again, it is worth reiterating that it is illegal, without a licence, to photograph any birds on or near their nests.

keps

I don't think it's true to say you need a license to take a pic of a Kingfisher.


Nesting is a separate issue

pegasus1 wrote: »

Regarding KingFishers..
Sorry to bring this up again..
............

You need a license in order to take pics of kingfishers..but still not disturb them.
Just my 2 cts.

gzoladz

Jazlyn Incalculable Yo-yo wrote: »

Being that time of year again, it is worth reiterating that it is illegal, without a licence, to photograph any birds on or near their nests.

Thanks, very timely reminder.

On the topic of the welfare of kingfishers, what seriously concerns me is the deployment of heavy machinery and construction work currently going on along the banks of the Dodder.

Between Clonskeagh and Ashton Pub they are building what seems to be a recreational path. Very welcome amenity, but the work represent significant disturbance to the birds.

Along the part of the river that goes through Herbert Park, again, a lot of construction work last year during the breeding season. They even knocked some of the banks down. 2 years ago there was a nest there, now all kingfishers are gone from the area.

Between Ballsbridge and the Aviva, work has been ongoing for +2 years. Again, no signs of the birds in the area.

And I could continue with other activities...for example why does the Dodder clean up need to take place in the middle of the breeding season (i.e.today), with loads of people walking on the banks, where the birds nest.

While the Wildlife Act ticks the box of protecting protected species against a specific type of disturbance, there are still many other serious threats that seem to remain unaddressed.

keps

To add to Gustavo's concerns - when I was living near the Liffey in Lucan/Leixlip, the Canoe Club of Ireland( or some such organisation)was allowed to build a massive slalom run at the weir in Lucan.
Obviously with the approval of the local council.

The construction took out one long established kingfisher nest- and totally disrupted wildlife in the locality.

A sense of perspective is needed.

keps

gzoladz wrote: »

And I could continue with other activities...for example why does the Dodder clean up need to take place in the middle of the breeding season (i.e.today), with loads of people walking on the banks, where the birds nest.

While the Wildlife Act ticks the box of protecting protected species against a specific type of disturbance, there are still many other serious threats that seem to remain unaddressed.

BTW - it's not just on the Banks- there were guys in Scuba type gear wading their way up the River- from side to side.
They do great work, no doubt, but why do it when the Dippers, Moorhens etc are breeding???

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

keps wrote: »

BTW - it's not just on the Banks- there were guys in Scuba type gear wading their way up the River- from side to side.
They do great work, no doubt, but why do it when the Dippers, Moorhens etc are breeding???

If you have specific locations and evidence of actually nests at risk, contact NPWS.

keps

Jazlyn Incalculable Yo-yo wrote: »

If you have specific locations and evidence of actually nests at risk, contact NPWS.

I know that that the 'cleaner- uppers' were within 3 feet of a Dipper nest today-without knowing.
But that was a one day exercise.

The Fishermen/women that I have seen on the Dodder since 17th March are very careless about wildlife and will wade in and have no interest in nests.


The issue is that some get animated about a long lens photo image( from people who care) - without considering what the real risks are( from those who don't)