My Irish Bird Watch

10 May 2015 – Birds of prey are not always that easy to capture on camera. They often fly too high or sit hidden, so when we drove into the garden one day (11 April 2015) and this beauty was sitting enjoying its fresh kill it was special! We managed quite a few photos so I’ll leave you a few.

The bird was feasting on a wood-pigeon which couldn’t have been too much smaller than it! Would have been something special to see the hunt. The last pic in the sequence… yes, it’s spotted our cat way before we realised what was going on! The sparrowhawk must have returned three times to the carcass but when I went out before nightfall to have a look-see there was no sign of the bird and all that remained of the feast was a few feathers… ruthless efficiency!!

Sparrowhawk!

27 April 2014 – Birds have long been a fascination for man. I think the idea of free light is always alluring. We would love to fly unaided, to soar over the land and rise and descend on the thermals and air currents. Alas, we can’t fly unaided so maybe that’s why we are in awe of birds.

I have for some time been thinking of building an image gallery of Irish birds. The common garden birds are all around and if we sit still long enough we will see birds at their best, when they do what birds do. I’ve also noticed that our city feathered friends are far easier to photograph as they are more used to the intrusion of man into their private lives.

One of my top ten wish list items would be to acquire a 500 mm or more zoom lens as well as a higher resolution camera. However, for now I have to make do with what I have so if the birds seem a little distant in some of the photos it’s because I really couldn’t get any closer!

OK, enough waffle. Yesterday’s capture of a city robin was enough reason for me to finally get the page going. I will add photos as time goes by. In some cases I think I’ll do galleries… trying to show off the habits or behavior of birds who have kindly allowed me close enough to snap away…

St Stephen’s Green Robin… 

Pied Wagtail… North Kildare Cricket Club spectator

31 May 2014 Update – I’ve managed to lay my hands on a used 170 – 500. Only thing, my camera is too light for the lens so I have to use it in manual. Fun!! Here’s the first bird photo taken with the lens…

Chaffinch heralding summer’s arrival

Great Tit – the one that made it! (read here about its wee little dilemma…)

Swallow – One of the 4 migratory summer visitors… well, of the swallow/ swift/ martin variety.

Four in the brood…

The Curlew – becoming rarer as it’s breeding grounds are being impacted, by you guessed, man! Read a bit more here about Europe’s largest wader. I was lucky to spot this fella on the rock on the south-western side of Howth, near the dingy club. (02 Nov 2014)

The Oystercatcher – Here’s a link to a gallery taken while this fellow was having himself a good old feed on clams… cockles… whatever.

Little (White) Egret – there’s a colony of the little egrets living around Dublin’s Bull Island.

Here’s a link to my Vimeo clip… a happy foot-stomper feeding…

21 July 2015 – First sighting of a Little Egret in the pond at home! a few hurried pics…

Kestrel – Not the best quality but this fellow hovered ever closer, teasing me and complicating my life. Yep, can only use the lens in manual…

River Dodder Heron: The Beady Eyed Look?

Buzzard