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Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Summer trees near the Grand Canal, Mespil Road, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Carl Zeiss Planar T* lens on Kodak Ektar 100 colour film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The White-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe and the Middle East, also known as the European Dipper or just Dipper. The species is divided into several subspecies on colour differences, especially of the pectoral band. The Dipper of Great Britain and Ireland is known as the "Brown-Bellied" Dipper (C. c. gularis), while the Irish race is Cinclus cinclus hibernicus.
The Dipper is a rotund, short-tailed bird, dark above and white-breasted, closely associated with swiftly running rivers and streams or the lakes into which these fall. The Dipper often perches bobbing spasmodically with its short tail uplifted on the rocks round which the water swirls and tumbles.
It acquired its name from these sudden dips, not from its diving habit, though it dives as well as walks into the water. It flies rapidly and straight, its short wings whirring swiftly and without pauses or glides, calling a shrill zil, zil, zil. It will then either drop on the water and dive or plunge in with a small splash. From a perch it will walk into the water and deliberately submerge, but there is no truth in the assertion that it can defy the laws of specific gravity and walk along the bottom.
This is one of a pair that were singing and appearing to be paired up under a bridge near Dublin city.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Winter trees near the National Concert Hall, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Comma is a generalist, found in: tall-herb and grassy forest clearings, crops, field margins, orchards, urban parks and ornamental gardens. The first confirmed report of the Comma in the Republic of Ireland was in 2000 in Co. Wexford. It is now consistently recorded each year throughout the south and east, and overwinters. In Spring, overwintering adults emerge in wooded habitats and spend time basking, favourite surfaces being tree trunks, wood piles, dead bracken and fence posts. Males establish territories on sunny rides and woodland margins, perching waiting for females to enter the territory and conducting short flights to and from their original perch. During late summer and early autumn, the 2nd generation adults range widely over sites with nectar sources, but move to woodland to hibernate.
The caterpillars primarily feed on Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), but in Britain it has also been observed on: Currants (Ribes spp.), Elms (Ulmus spp.), Hop (Humulus lupulus) and Willows (Salix spp.).
The adult nectar sources include: Bramble (Rubus fruticosus), Buddleia (Buddleji davidii), Ivy (Hedera helix), Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.), Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) and Thistles (Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.). (National Biodiversity Data Centre)
This is the first Comma butterfly of 2024 for me. Always great to see. In Marlay Park, Dublin.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Winter trees near the National Concert Hall, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f2 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
One of the entrance gates to Dalymount Park, Phibsborough, Dublin. Currently home to Bohemians FC, the first football game played here was on 7th September 1901.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The northern shoveler, known simply as the shoveler in Ireland, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and across most of North America, wintering in southern Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central, the Caribbean, and northern South America.
This species is unmistakable in the northern hemisphere due to its large spatulate bill. The breeding drake has an iridescent dark green head, white breast and chestnut belly and flanks. In flight, pale blue forewing feathers are revealed, separated from the green speculum by a white border. In early fall the male will have a white crescent on each side of the face. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake resembles the female.
The female is a drab mottled brown like other dabblers, with plumage much like a female mallard, but easily distinguished by the long broad bill, which is gray tinged with orange on cutting edge and lower mandible. The female's forewing is gray. (wikipedia)
The species is resident and a breeding species in Ireland. Wintering birds originate from breeding populations which range across France, northern Europe, the Baltic and western Russia. Ireland and northern Britain also support the small Icelandic breeding population during the winter. (Birdwatch Ireland)
This male Shoveler was present in front of the first hide at Birdwatch Ireland's East Coast Nature Reserve (ECNR), Co. Wicklow
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Passing the time with some knitting while waiting for the LUAS tram system, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Common Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It breeds across Europe and much of temperate and northern Asia. Most birds migrate south in winter, but those in the milder south and west of the range are resident. It is common in reedbeds and also breeds in drier open areas such as moorland and cultivation.
The common reed bunting is a medium-sized bird, 13.5–15.5 cm long, with a small but sturdy seed-eater's bill. The male has a black head and throat, white neck collar and underparts, and a heavily streaked brown back. The female is much duller, with a streaked brown head, and is more streaked below. (wikipedia)
This is a male bird photographed out on some reeds in the East Coast Nature Reserve (owned by BirdWatch Ireland) during the Spring of 2023.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Not all is at it seems along the Grand Canal, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits. This species breeds in much of Europe and Asia and parts of north Africa. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. It has a toehold in Alaska as a scarce breeder. In some areas, notably Britain and Ireland, the sub-species Pied Wagtail (M. a. yarrellii) predominates.
This is a slender bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. The nominate subspecies Motacilla alba alba is basically grey above and white below, with a white face, black cap and black throat. The Pied Wagtail has a much blacker back than the nominate race, black of throat continues on side of neck. (wikipedia)
The Pied Wagtail alighting on a wire fence after dropping into a puddle for a wash. Turvey, Co. Dublin.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Not all is at it seems along the Grand Canal, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) nests near lakes, rivers or the coast in Canada and the northern United States. They are migratory and most move south to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, also the Great Lakes.
This gull is a regular wanderer to western Europe. In Ireland and Great Britain it is no longer classed as a rarity, with several birds regularly wintering in these countries.
In the late 19th century, this bird was hunted for its plumage. Its population has since rebounded and it is probably the most common gull in North America. In some areas, it is displacing less aggressive birds such as the Common Tern. (wikipedia)
This is an adult bird in winter plumage. Taken at Blackrock, Co. Louth. It is a bird that has returned to this area for several winters now. The species is rare in Ireland, and is becoming less frequent in Ireland during the winter months over the last few years.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Reflections in the still waters of the Grand Canal, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The exceptions to this are the Eurasian oystercatcher, the South Island oystercatcher, and the Magellanic oystercatcher, which also breed inland, far inland in some cases.
The Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) is also known as the common pied oystercatcher, or (in Europe) just oystercatcher. It has striking black and white plumage, a long straight orange-red bill, red eyes and relatively short dull pink legs. The sexes are similar in appearance but the bill of the female is longer than that of the male.
It is the most widespread of the oystercatchers, with three races breeding in western Europe, central Eurosiberia, Kamchatka, China, and the western coast of Korea. No other oystercatcher occurs within this area.
Despite its name, oysters do not form a large part of its diet. The bird still lives up to its name, as few if any other wading birds are capable of opening oysters.
This oystercatcher is unmistakable in flight, with white patches on the wings and tail, otherwise black upperparts, and white underparts. Young birds are more brown, have a white neck collar and a duller bill. The call is a distinctive loud piping.
The bill shape varies; oystercatchers with broad bill tips open molluscs by prising them apart or hammering through the shell, whereas pointed-bill birds dig up worms. Much of this is due to the wear resulting from feeding on the prey. Individual birds specialise in one technique or the other which they learn from their parents. It shows clinal variation with an increase from west to east. The subspecies longipes has distinctly brownish upperparts and the nasal groove extends more than halfway along the bill. In the subspecies ostralegus the nasal groove stops short of the half-way mark. The osculans subspecies lacks white on the shafts of the outer 2–3 primaries and has no white on the outer webs of the outer five primaries. (wikipedia)
In Ireland, approximately 60,000 Oystercatchers spend the winter around the Irish coast, which is a decline of around 28% since the early 2000's. This photograph was taken at Broadmeadows estuary, Co. Dublin.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Mallard sitting on the banks of the section of the Tolka River that runs through Griffith Park in Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world.
It is a stocky white bird adorned with buff plumes in the breeding season which nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Unlike most other herons, it feeds in relatively dry grassy habitats, often accompanying cattle or other large mammals, since it catches insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations of the Cattle Egret are migratory and others show post-breeding dispersal.
The adult Cattle Egret has few predators, but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency or disturbance from other large birds. This species removes ticks and flies from cattle, but it can be a safety hazard at airfields, and has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases. (wikipedia)
A lone Cattle Egret keeping some cattle company in the fields surrounding Tarifa, Spain.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Reflections along the Grand Canal near Charlemont Bridge, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European Siskin, Common Siskin or just Siskin. It is very common throughout Europe and Asia. It is found in forested areas, both coniferous and mixed woodland where it feeds on seeds of all kinds, especially of alder and conifers.
It can be distinguished from other similar finches by the color of the plumage. The upper parts are greyish green and the under parts grey-streaked white. Its wings are black with a conspicuous yellow wing bar, and the tail is black with yellow sides. The male has a mainly yellow face and breast, with a neat black cap. Female and young birds have a greyish green head and no cap. It is a trusting, sociable and active bird. The song of this bird is a pleasant mix of twitters and trills. For these reasons it is often raised in captivity.
These birds have an unusual migration pattern as every few years in winter they migrate southwards in large numbers. The reasons for this behavior are not known but may be related to climatic factors and above all the availability of food. In this way overwintering populations can thrive where food is abundant. This small finch is an acrobatic feeder, often hanging upside-down like a tit. It will visit garden bird feeding stations. (wikipedia)
This male was busy feeding on the same fruit trees as the Waxwings that were in a suburban North Dublin estate. There was an influx of Siskin in Dublin suburbs recenlty, wtih two flocks of 100 birds each near where I live. Beautiful and noisy finches.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Looking across the canal from Dublin 2 to Dartmouth Square in Dublin 6.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.