Atlantic Birding

@atlanticbirding.bsky.social

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Birder/Hobby Photographer; West of Ireland. Post pictures of birds, nature & landscapes encountered on my travels. Interested in nature and the environment around the world. All pictures my own unless otherwise stated. No DMs

A male Great Spotted Woodpecker perched on a vertical limb of a large, dead Elm tree. The vertical limb takes up the right hand side of the shot and at the top a circular hole can be seen where the woodpeckers nest is. The woodpecker is below the hole and to the left; it is in side profile, with its right side showing and it head cocked slightly towards the camera. Its beak is full of insects and grubs. In the backyard large branch of the Elm takes up most of the frame with its backless, textured wood largely uncovered bar some moss just behind the woodpecker. In the bottom left of the frame some of the background vegetation can be seen; out of focus and dappled with light.
A Common Gull perched on an old pier wall at the lake side. The bird is in side profile; looking right with its left side showing, the foreground is a grassy pier wall with a tall clump of grass partly obscuring the bird The background is out of focus water with the far shore
A Long-Tailed Tit perched in the end of dead tree branch in the bright sunshine. The bird is shot from slightly below and is showing its tail, underbelly, chest and right side of its body. Its head is turned down slightly to look at the camera. The background is a clear blue sky and a small, thin willow branch in the foreground travels from centre of frame up along the left hand side of the shot with a few sparse leaves at each side. Another small branch can be seen in the background; in the bottom right hand side of the picture.
Three Sanderling foraging in the water on a seaweed covered beach. The birds are in a loose line, all facing to the right with their right sides showing, in front of a large mound of seaweed in the foreground. They are in the water up to their bellies behind the mass of green And brown seaweed, in front of a clam sea in the background
A close up shot of a Fledgling European Robin. The bird is centre of frame, facing right and taking up most of the frame. The right side of its body is visible and it has its head turned slightly to face the camera. It is perched on a mossy branch in the bushes and its mottled brown feathers are visible, although an out of focus branch in the foreground slightly obscures its rump. The background is out of focus green vegetation
A close up shot of a Western Jackdaw in a garden. The bird is shot from the shoulders up and is in the bottom right hand corner of the frame. Its black chest and shoulders lead in to its grey neck and head and its grey eye before the black cap above its eyes lead into its beak. The background is out of focus green grass
A head on shot of a Greater Black-backed Gull taking off from a river. The bird is centre of frame and looking directly at the camera; both wings are open and raised above the birds head symmetrically. Its feet are partially out of the water as it gets ready to fly. In the foreground is the river; with the surface shimmering with small ripples. A Herring Gull can be seen floating on the water in the background
A newly fledged Robin standing on a small mound in a forest meadow. The bird is in side profile; looking right with its right side showing. It is standing upright with its head tilted slightly towards the camera. Its mottled brown plumage is visible as well as under developed feathers and wide mouth gape. The mound is in the foreground and is covered in a this moss, with grasses and daisies either side. The background is out of focus grass peppered with daises
A Common Buzzard perched on a telephone pole in the bright sunshine. The bird has its back to the camera with its head turned towards it so the tail, back and right side of its body & head is visible. The bird is centre of frame on a wooden post with a wire coming from the bottom of the pole and running along the bottom Right of the shot. The golden sun is coming from the left and lighting up the bird, pole and wire. The background is a clear blue sky
A Goldcrest,in song, on a small branch in the forest. The bird is facing the camera to the right of centre of frame on a small branch which comes from the right hand corner and splits into three in the centre of the frame. The bird is facing the camera with its head turned to the left so the left side of its head is visible. Its beak is open in song and its gold crest is visible on top of its head. The background is out of focus green vegetation from the forest
A Herring Gull floating is a clam rock pool in the early morning sunshine. The bird is in side profile in the centre of frame; travelling from left to right with its left side showing. Its head is bowed slightly to looks at the water and ripples are coming from around its body. Its reflection can be seen in front of it. The water is mostly calm other than that and takes up most of the frame; the background is brown seaweed covering the shore and rocks.
A shot of the Metal Man navigational aid to ships at Rosses Point, Co. Sligo, Ireland. The statue is to the right of the frame; showing a man dressed as a Royal Navy Petty Officer standing with his right hand outstretched and left on his hip. The statue is brightly painted with white trousers, red waistcoat, purple jacket and yellow cravat. He has black hair. A Great Black-backed Gull sits on his outstretched arm. The statue is surrounded by the calm water of the bay and in the background are hilly fields of farmland with a farm shed visible in the upper left hand corner
A close up shot of Rock Pipit perched on rocks on the shore. The bird is in side profile, looking left with its left side showing and head tilted slightly towards the camera. The bird is perched on a light grey rock in the bottom right of the frame, the right side of the frame is taken up with the bird and these rocks. To the left are out of focus browns of a large clump of seaweed
A Goldfinch perched on a park bench in the sunshine. The bird is in side profile; looking left with its left side showing. Its feathers are slightly puffed out as it sits on the top plank of the back of a park bench; which runs along the bottom right of the frame. The background is out of focus green grass
A Barn Swallow perched on a thin branch in the light rain. The bird is centre of frame on a branch that runs from the bottom left of frame to the centre. It is looking to the right with its right side showing it the camera. The background is uniform green of forest vegetation with small drops of rain visible.
A male Stonechat perched on top of a wooden post in the bright sunshine. The bird is left of centre of frame, perched on top of a wooden post with its right side showing. The bright sunshine is shining in from behind the camera and illuminating the bird. The background is out of focus green/yellow grass
A Goldcrest perched on a small branch in the forest. The bird is facing the camera with its head turned slightly towards the right so its right side is visible. Its bright yellow crest is visible like a Mohawk on its head. The branch runs along the bottom of the frame and the background is out of focus branches and green vegetation
A little Egret fishing in a still tidal pool, the bird is in side profile; looking left with its left side showing. Its neck is down ready to strike and A hint of its yellow foot can be seen emerging for the water. Its full reflection can be seen in front of it in the still water. There are small ripples behind the bird but the rest of the frame is water like a mirror
A Male Chaffinch having a bath in shallow water. The bird is facing the camera with its head turned to the left to show its left side. Its right wing is in movement; up above its body as it flicks water over itself Droplets of water can seen around the bird. There is a grey, out of focus, strip of path in the foreground.
A Male Mallard taking off from a lake. The bird is in close up in the upper left side of the frame, its left side is showing And its wings are in a downward beat. Drops of water can be seen falling off the bird as it flies. The background is out of focus green grass and reeds with a hint of water at the bottom
A shot of the vertical cliff face at the Cliffs of Moher Co. Clare. The cliff is taking up the right hand third of the frame; rising vertically in different bands of sedimentary rock. Guillemot can be seen perched on ledges along the cliff face. To the left is the Atlantic Ocean, disturbed by small waves throughout and pockmarked with Guillemot in flight
A Grey Heron standing in a pool of sea water in the early sunshine. The bird is in side profile; looking left with its left side showing. The bird is up to the tops of its legs in water and standing upright with its beak out straight in front of it. Its reflection can be seen in the water in front of it. The rising sun is casting a slightly golden light on the birds head, neck and chest The rest of the shot is calm water with a small piece of seaweed visible in front of the bird and a larger one visible behind it
A pair of Black-Headed Gulls in winter plumage, perched on the top of a submerged steel railing. The birds are centre of frame in side profile; the nearer gull is facing right and the other is facing left with its tail behind the first. They are perched in a steel railing that emerges out of a flooded lake; part of a second rail can be seen in the foreground The rest of the frame is lake water with small waves throughout that is reflecting the light giving a marbling effect
A family of Mute Swans (2 adults and 7 cygnets) on a nest made of reeds ont he edge of the lake. The nest is centre frame with both parents standing on it. The one on the right has its head up and facing the camera, the one on the left is preening. In front of them are seven cygnets, five sitting and two standing on the nest. In the foreground is the edge of lake, dotted with lily pads and a few reeds. The background is fresh green reeds
A little Egret fishing in a still rock pool. The bird is in side profile, to the right of frame facing left. It is hunched over with its neck wound in ready to strike, its reflection can be seen in front of it in the still water. The rest of the shot is still water
A close up shot of the flower head of Red Valerian with a Hummingbird Hawk Moth coming into feed. The flower head takes up the right side of the frame with branches of dense clusters of pink star shaped flowers throughout. To the left of the frame is a Hummingbird Hawk Moth flying in to feed on the flowers. Its grey body and black and white tail are clear while its grey forewings and orange hind wings are a blur of movement. Its long proboscis is extended in front of it; ready to sip nectar from the flowers The background is out of focus grey rocks with the steel mesh of gabion baskets visible
The sun setting over the sea, taken from the sand dunes of a beach in the West of Ireland. The sun is centre of frame, just about to disappear behind the horizon; it is throwing out orange and pick colours along the sky and clouds. In the foreground is the top of a sand dune, in shadow mostly with rays of the setting sun illuminating the grass at the top of the dune. A sliver of sea is visible between the dune and the horizon. The sky is mostly covered in clouds; which are lit up in pinks and oranges by the setting sun; some blue/grey sky is visible at the top of the frame
A Cuckoo sitting on a large rock, backlit but the early morning sun. The bird is in side profile; looking to the left on the top of a large rock which takes up the foreground. The golden sunshine is shiny from the right and creating a ring of golden light around the birds outline The background is out of focus limestone rock littered with vegetation and lit up by golden sunshine
A Fledgling Meadow Pipit perched on a rusty barbed wire in the morning sunshine. The bird is facing the camera with its head turned to the left so the left side of its face is looking at the camera. It is slightly right of centre of the frame on a rusted barbed wire that runs horizontally across the bottom of the frame. The bird is plump and round with the typical wide gape of fledgling birds The golden morning sunshine is shining in from the right of the frame and highlighting the birds left side. The rest of the shot is clear blue sky
A show of the northern headland of Benbulbin taken from the shores of Ross’s Point in Co. Sligo. The mountain is in the background, gradually rising from the centre of the frame towards the right before rising vertically towards the top with a flat, table top effect. The rest of the background is forested landscape below blue sky with white cloud cover In the foreground a small hill rises from the beach; a yellow and red lifeguard hut can be seen on the left and a group can be seen sitting on the hill/dune towards the right
A Male Chaffinch perched on a small branch in the forest in song. The bird is in the bottom right of the frame with its left side showing and head tilted up and beak open in song. The branch travels from the bottoms right to the top left of the frame and two other branches can be seen behind it travelling a similar direction. The background is out of focus greens and browns of the forest.
A Skylark perched on a stone wall in the sunshine. The bird is facing the camera, to the right of the frame, with its head turned to the left to show its left side. The sun is shining in from the right and lighting up the stone wall the bird is perched on; which runs along the bottoms of the frame and is light grey with patches of yellow lichen. The background is a field of long grass; out of focus
A male Linnet perched on top of a bramble bush in the sunshine. The bird is in side profile, facing right in the bottom left of the frame. It is perched on top of a bramble bush which runs along the bottom of the frame with mostly green shoots and buds sprinkled with a few old dead branches The background is out of focus fields giving a uniform green backdrop
A Little Egret coming in to land on the coast; the bird is in side profile, coming in from the right to land. Its legs and feet are outstretched beneath and slightly ahead of it while its wings are outstretched as brakes. It is landing on a dark rock covered in clumps of seaweed with other flat risks in the background covered in barnacles and a hint of the sea behind them
The northern spur of Benbulbin in the Dartry Mountains, Co. Sligo, Ireland. The mountain is in the left of the frame; from the bottom right to the top left. It starts as a 45 degree slope of grass, turning to a vertical slope of jagged rocks littered with grass as it approaches the flattop The sky is a pale blue, littered with light clouds. The sunshine is shining down on the mountain lighting up sections of grass and putting others in shadow; the vertical section is in shadow.
A Herring Gull floating in a Rock pool with a crab in its beak. The bird is in side profile, looking right with its right side showing. It is backlit by the morning sunshine, casting a shadow along its body and a reflection in the still water of the rock pool. The crab is caught by the claw and dangling below the bird
Two Herring Gulls foraging through a mound of decaying seaweed on the beach. The birds are both facing the camera with their fronts and right sides showing. They are on a large mound of brown seaweed with beaks stained with the same. The birds on the left has its beak open in a call The background is a sandy beach with clumps of seaweed littered throughout. A few out of focus gulls can be seen walking
A White Tailed Eagle in flight against a clear blue sky. The bird is flying from left to right with its wings open wide The sunlight is shining on its head and putting its underside in slight shadow
A Grey Heron perched on a rock jutting out of the lake in the evening sunshine. The bird is in side profile; looking left with its left side showing, the sunshine is lighting up the bird and the water behind it. The rest of the shot is shallow water with stubs of old reeds jutting up through it
A White Tailed Eagle in flight, shot from below. The bird has its wings outstretched against a clear blue sky. The underside of the bird is fully visible as it’s soars; a blue and red tag can be seen on each wing; this bird was released as part of Irelands reintroduction program
A female Mute Swan floats on a river in the morning sunshine. The bird is shot in side profile; looking to the left. It is floating softly on a calm stretch of river with the sunlight coming in from behind and its reflection visible in front of it. The background is low growing grasses and reeds on the riverbank
A Blue Tit fledgling with its parent on a mossy tree branch. The chick is to the right of frame with its back turned to the camera and head turned to the left so its face and open beak are visible. The parent is to the left in side profile with its right side showing and head turned to look up. The background is out of focus green
A Grey Heron perched on a wooden post at the edge of a lake. The bird is facing away from the camera with its back And right side showing, its head is turned towards camera and tucked in under its wing as it preens. The top of the wooden post is visible as well as the top line of barbed wire on the fence. The image is backlit giving a soft glowing light. There is out of focus vegetation in the foreground giving a blurry appearance. The background is brown lake water in sunlight
A Hrey Heron preening in the bright sunshine. The bird is taken in portrait and takes up most of the frame. It is standing upright in a bare Willow tree with its neck vertical and head bent down to preen where its neck and chest meet. Its black and grey body plumage is sharp and the black stripe on its head ends in a black tail of feathers. Behind the willow branches is clear blue sky
A Grey Wagtail on the corrugated roof of an old shed with moss for a nest in its beak. The bird is in side profile with its left side showing in the bright sunshine. It is on a diagonal roof which runs along the bottom right of the frame. The background is out of focus green vegetation
A Rook perched on an Ash branch. The bird is in side profile with its right side showing and head turned towards camera The branch is running from the left of frame to the bottom right and the background is out of focus green to the right of frame and white to the left
Two Bar Tailed Godwit standing at the sea shore behind a large flock of sleeping Dunlin. The Godwit are centre of frame; one to the left, sleeping, and one to the right. A flock of approximately 70 Dunlin are sleeping in the foreground on the sand in front of the Godwit. The sand has large clumps of kelp and seaweed littered on it. The background is the sea, rolling in in small, calm waves to the shore
A Great Black Backed Gull on a carpet of short, green seaweed on the shore. The bird is facing the camera with its right side showing, its head is turned or the left so the left side of its head is visible. The bird is standing in a small rock pool up to its ankles and a drop of water is hanging from its beak. The backlit green seaweed with a single clump of brown seaweed behind the birds head
An Oxeye daisy taken face on in soft sunlight. The yellow disc florets have a spiral like look to them and the white petals are fresh and clean looking. A small fly is sitting on a petal to the right and some cobweb can be seen on the bottom. The background is out of focus greens and browns.
A Goldcrest perched on a small branch in the forest. The bird is perched on a thin, almost horizontal branch beside the trees small trunk. Buds can be seeen on the branches. The bird is facing the camera with its head turned to the right so its right eye is looking at the camera and gold crest is showing. The background is out of focus branches and leaves dappled with light
A female Mallard on a largely submerged rock on the edge of a lake. The bird is in side profile with its right side showing. Its plumage is puffed out and it has one eye on the camera. The foreground has green reeds growing vertically which subtly obscure the view. Behind the bird and the rock the green water is covered in more reeds.
A Common Buzzard in flight. The bird is in close up flying from right to left; it is taking up the right half of the frame. Its wings are upward with the left wing visible underneath, the tips of the right wing are visible. The bird has its head tilted towards the camera as it looks at the photographer The background is a blue sky
A Hooded Crow perched on an Ash branch with a small chick hanging from Its beak. The bird is in side profile, looking it the left with its left side showing. It has the chick by the head and the rest of the body is dangling beneath. The ash branch is in front of the bird and partially concealing its body. The background is out of focus branches and leaves in mixed light
A Snipe hidden in the log grasses and reeds at the edge of a lake. The bird is in side profile; looking right with its right side showing. Some large iris stalks are in the foreground and partially concealing the back of the bird as well as casting a shadow over its head and body. A drop of water can be seen falling from the birds beak. The background is mixed reeds and grasses in dappled light
A close up shot of a male Mallard in the sunshine. The bird is in side profile, looking to the left with its left side showing; it stakes up most of the frame. In the foreground the bird’s reflection can be seen through rippled water. A drop of water is falling from its beak. The background is lake water with soft ripples
An early purple Orchid amongst grasses in the Burren. The flower is slightly right of centre of the frame with vivid purple flowers throughout its flower stalk. Around it and in the background are golden grasses, with a few seed heads visible.
A Song Thrush taking off from an elder berry tree in the bright sunshine. The bird is in side profile, facing right with its right side showing. The bird is bottom centre of frame taking off from a branch that travels from bottom of frame to top left. Two other branches can be seen rising vertically to the right of the frame. The birds wings are both up as it takes off. The bird is lit up by sunshine with a shadow on the underside of the wing. The background is out of focus green
A Wren singing from a horizontal branch in the sunshine. The bird is in side profile with its left side showing. Its head is up and beak open in song. Its tongue can be seen sticking out as it sings. The morning sunshine is shining in from the right and lighting up the birds feature. The background is grey sky with a few bare branches
A Common Cuckoo on top of a blackthorn bush in the morning sun. The bird is, in side profile, perched on top of the bush with a clump Of leaves partially obscuring its body. Its tail, wing and head can be seen in the bright morning sun. The blackthorn bush takes up the bottom half of the frame. The background is a wall of out of focus green vegetation
A Barn Swallow perched on a thin, dead elder branch in the light rain. The bird is centre of frame, facing the camera on a long, thin dead branch. The background is out of focus green from the forest edge behind it and light rain can seen falling around it.