A Little Chat!

I've spent the whole summer watching out for the return of a particular species of chat that made a brief appearance at the end of September last year in these parts before disappearing without a trace.

So imagine my delight when said species, the wheatear, showed up on the shoreline yesterday and spent the whole day trying to dodge my advances!

But I'm happy to say that she eventually took pity on me and posed for a couple of pics. As with last year it was only the female of the species that made the appearance and it's the same again this year leading me to wonder whether or not wheatears in general remain an item beyond the breeding season or go their separate ways.

All very curious. And all very fantastic to have bagged the shots!

By the way, the term wheatear literally derives from the bird's Elizabethan name - 'white arse' - in keeping with the very noticeable white plumage on the birds rump. 

More soon ...

  

 Elegance personified

 Let's look at that again!

  

Side profile!

And staring into the middle distance - smoky mood!

Feeling Called the Blues

A blue tit was busying itself in the trees across the road from the house today and wasn't too touchy about me taking a pic or two. Thank you blue tit!

More soon ...

 

Slim Peckings!

As the summer heads towards its end, a great many of the birds that were a common sight over the past three months have become pretty thin on the ground, and in the skies, and, I suspect, that as their broods have been reared and have now left the nest, they, too, have decided to fly off to explore pastures new or to do more interesting things. 

Wherever they are by now, as they're not in my local park anymore, I do hope that they are following their history and instinct and that their disappearance is part of a pattern of that history and instinct that explains their absence. If not, I'd worry about all the bloody smoke and shit and steam and stagnance in the air here - though I worry about that anyway!

A couple of the larger species, waders mainly, do remain along the Dodder River though which is nice.

But, otherwise and as a local photographer, you have to be content with the butterflies, hover flies and the bees these days if you want to get a nice pic or two.

More soon ...

No egrets!

 

An admirable admiral

The egret has landed!

As has the mallard, m'lord

Sweet painted lady through the wars!

Et encore!

No bovver to a hover

And, of course, flowers for the same lady

Down By the Water ...

Down by the strand today there were a couple of interesting guys knocking about. In no particular order we have:

 The curlew, one of a dwindling few

 Redshanks are go!

Said curlew anew!

Little Egret

Flying Redshank

 

Redshank on the move!

Redshank staying put!

 

Redshank if they were in a Boyband!

and hanging tough!

 

And at rehearsals!

The Boids and the Bees!

Taken over the last two days in Sandymount and Dollymount ...

One bee ...

 Two bee or not ...

 

Bizzy bee!

Buzzy bee!

 Shuggie bee!

 Bee-gorrah!

 Bee gone!

Greetings from Death Valley!

 Jigs and eels!

 Redshank - marooned!

 Redshank - flies free!

Robin reliant!

Power of Ten

Yeah, I've really been neglecting this blog for the past few months, all part of my disconnection with the online world for reasons that escape me in large part but which have a lot got to do with a scary und wary allergy to a world where surrendering your personal information - your 'data, data, data' - to parties utterly unknown has become an (unacceptable) expectation - acknowledging the proposition that when you are not paying for the service you have become the product!

Where do you stand when this is the scenario, I just don't know, except that soon it'll be the norm and well, I'm just uneasy abut the whole thing. Not as though anyone cares a jot what keeps me awake at night either way, 'tis true!

But despite it all, I'll always make an exception for ukuleles and in particular for ukulele festivals of the Dun Laoghaire kind! This one, the TENTH, takes place in two weeks and me und my vee band of ukuleleristi  will be performing on the main stage at some stage on the big day!

So why not allow us to spoil you with some of our very own data for free!

More sooner or later!

A hooley is trooly a thing to behold ...