Awakening

"Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift"
                                                                                              Albert Einstein

Dawn on a spring morning at Ballycotton Island, Co. Cork.

Mother Nature's Son (Lennon & McCartney)

One of the most whimsical of Beatles' compositions, which was perfectly suited to Paul McCartney's voice, First released in the "White Album" in 1968, the song has long been one of my big favourites and has even gained a special meaning for me, as it has for many 60's "Flower Children" who were to become lovers of wildlife and wilderness. © norman dunlop, 2012


The video is quite good too! www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj0owcJIFCI

Phoenix Park, Dublin.

The Phoenix Park, on the northern side of Dublin City covers 1752 acres and is possibly the largest enclosed city park, in Europe. It was established in 1662 by James Butler, Duke of Ormond as a deer park on behalf of King Charles II and to this day the park contains a large herd of virtually wild fallow deer. 30% of the park is covered by trees, with oak, ash, lime, beech, sycamore and horse chestnut all present. Over 70 species of bird have been recorded in the park, with some 40 being definite breeders. The most recently "discovered" bird inhabitant is the greater spotted woodpecker, which was totally absent from Ireland until about ten years ago.  Most of the mammals found in Ireland have been recorded and include healthy badger, fox, rabbit, bat, and grey squirrel populations. On the down side two former resident mammals, the hare and red squirrel, appear to have disappeared. At the time of writing I understand that the Irish Government is in the process of lobbying UNESCO to have the Phoenix Park designated as a World Heritage Site.

"Deer At Dawn"
A group of Fallow Deer (Dama dama) emerge from a woodland in the
Park on a cold and frosty autumnal morning.

Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Common on Grassy areas of the Park.

Fallow Deer (Dama dama)
I managed to get a couple of shots off before they ran away.
Note the pricked up ears at the sound of the camera click and whirr of the motor drive.

"Dawn Run"
The local pony club out for an early morning gallop on the southern slopes of the Park.

Redwing (Turdus iliacus)
Large influxes of these Northern European thrushes arrive in Ireland virtually every year. Many find their way into the Park where there is an abundance of snails, worms and insects particularly around fallen trees and rotting timber.

Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
Widespread throughout the entire Park, where this introduced species appears to have totally replaced the indigenous red squirrel population.

Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandaris)
Photographed near the American Ambassador's Residence in the Park this Jay allowed me to get two quick sqeezes on the camera button before flying off. Jays are notoriously difficult to photograph because they spend most of their time, high in the tree canopy where they can be very vocal but only glimpsed occasionally.  I have been trying for a good shot of a jay for a long time, and this one will have to do until I can improve on it!

"Feeding Time"
Philip helps Riin and Evan to feed the ducks in the Dog Pond.

Fallow Deer (Dama dama)
Most of the deer in the Park shun close contact with humans but this young
doe seemed facinated by the camera.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
This well-fed duck was photographed at the Dog Pond, one of the half dozen ponds in the park.

Botanic Gardens

In 1795 the Royal Dublin Society aided by state funding purchased lands at Glasnevin for the purpose of building a National Botanical Gardens, which were first opened to the public in 1800. The first of the magnificent curvilinear glass houses, built by Dublin iron master Richard Turner, was opened in 1849 to coincide with a visit by Queen Victoria. The gardens are set in almost 20 hectares and feature more than 15,000 living plants including specimens from alpine, sub tropical and tropical climes. The gardens also contain more than 300 endangered plant species and another 6 species which are already extinct in the wild. As well as acting as a living reference library for gardeners, hortaculturists and botanists, the gardens are a wonderful public amenity and haven for wildlife, and I am very fortunate to live literally two minutes around the corner from the front gates!

"Turner's Masterpieces"
Looking West past the magnificent glasshouses. constructed by
Dubliner Richard Turner

"Flower Power"
When in bloom the flower gardens draw crowds from near and far, by the coach load .

"Sun Dappled Pathway" 
The gardens are a favourite place for walking and many northside
Dubliners exercise there daily. 

Grey Squirrel (Neosciurus corolinensis) 
Introduced to Britain and Ireland from the Americas and its rapid spread
has coincided with the demise of our native Red Squirrel (Sclurus vulgaris).
It must be twenty years since I last saw a red squirrel in the Gardens,
but today the greys are everywhere!

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Occasionally seen fishing in the River Tolka which forms the northern perimeter of the
Gardens. This particular bird has just swallowed a trout of about 2lbs (.91kgs)!

Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
Several pairs breed in the Gardens, and despite the bright colours of the male they can be remarkably
difficult to observe. The female is very drab and in many cases all one sees is a pair of white rumps
as they fly quickly and quietly away.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
This was the first wood duck I had ever seen in Ireland. A female, it was observed on numerous occasions over a two year period, on or near the pond in the centre of the gardens, where it seemed more than happy to mix with the local mallard population.

Socrates 469-399 BC
This statue stands at the north eastern side of the gardens, seen
here  when the ground was covered in snow. I am not sure why
Socrates is here except that he killed himself by drinking a potion
made from the plant hemlock, or maybe it has to do with the following
quotation attributed to him, which is also very appropriate for this blog!
"He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature"

Blue Tit (Parus caruleus)
This cheeky little fellow has just hopped up onto the wall of the herb garden and
 is on the lookout for some nice tasty seeds or grubs!

"Autumnal Colours"
These Asian maples are wearing their autumnal colouring.

Common Magpie (Pica pica)
Very common in the Gardens where up to 50 pairs may be breeding.
Possibly one of our most intelligent birds and certainly one of the
great adapters and survivors of the bird world.

Common Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Common breeding bird in the Gardens'

European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
This little guy showed no fear as he hopped up beside Philip's foot as we walked
through the gardens.

Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Common along the banks of the Tolka River. 

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
I estimate that there are two pairs of Kingfishers on the stretch of
Tolka River which borders the Gardens, but I tried for a very long time
before I managed to get this picture in the winter of 2010.

Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Pictured in early spring,  at nest building time,
with a mouth full of soft moss.

"Babbling Brook"
Asian maples overhang the water feature in the centre of the Gardens.

Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Common throughout the Gardens and often seen on or near grassy areas.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipter nisus)
Philip and I discovered a pair of nesting sparrowhawks in a large oak tree close to the river.
The male (pictured) got very agitated and tried to lead us away from,the nest site,
 so we withdrew and left them to get on with raising their family.

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Brown rats are excellent swimmers and are very common throughout Europe. I watched this one
swim across the Tolka River before it scrambled up the bank and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Blessington Street Basin.

"Flowers on the Wall"
Behind the Lodge At Blessington Street Basin

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
A native of North America and a very rare bird in Ireland. This pair, of
unknown origin took up residence for a whole summer at the basin.

Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domest.)
Even the pigeons are interesting here! This striking individual
had bright yellow eyes instead of the more normal orange ones!

Ringed Teal (Callonetta leucophrys)
This female bird was observed for about two months at the Basin and is a species of South
American origin. It is most probably an escapee from a European bird collection,

The Basin Fountain.
 One of the reasons the Basin is so attractive to birds is the regular
recycling of the water through the fountain and subsequent high aeration
which helps to keep the pond clean and fairly algae free.  

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
There is a healthy population of "tufties" in the Basin, and they seem
to spend their time moving between here and the nearby Royal Canal to feed.

Mandarin Duck (aix galericulata).
This Asian species was first recorded as a feral breeder in Ireland in the late 70's. There are possibly
3 breeding pairs at the Basin and in 2011,  I observed several young birds.

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
I estimate that there are two or three breeding pairs at the Basin and
they seem to spend their time moving between here and the nearby Royal Canal

Smew (Mergellus albellus)
This little duck caused quite a stir when he showed up in 2010.
There was even more excitement when a female turned up later in 2011.
This is a very rare bird in Ireland being a breeding resident of the Arctic Tundra.

"The Lodge" 
The beautiful old water keeper's cottage at Blessington Street Basin has been around for a while!

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
An American species which appears to have established a healthy breeding population
 in and around Dublin. I estimate that two pairs bred at the Basin in 2011

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
At least one pair of herons bred at the Basin in 2011.

White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis)
A trans-Atlantic species, which has probably escaped from a European bird collection.
I witnessed a pair of these ducks with young in the Basin in 2011

Smew (Mergellus albellus)
This is the female bird which turned up in 2011. I have not yet established
if breeding actually took place. But watch this space! 

Yellow Belly Slider Turtle (Trachemys scripta scripta) 
Just look what turned up in the Basin recently! This turtle is normallyfound in the southern states of America, from Florida to Virginia, and is a popular pet there. Obviously someone in Dublin was not so enamoured and released it to fend for it's self. It will be interesting to see if it can survive in the Basin as it is very much a warm water animal. 

Bull Island Nature Reserve, Dublin. (2)

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Regularly observed hovering over grassy verges or on the edges of the marsh. Kestrels are very
suspicious of humans, but I got quite close to this fine male bird before he took flight! 

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
The largest of all Irish breeding gulls, and a regular visiter to the Island.

Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Some concern has been expressed about an an apparent European decline
in this species, but I have to say there does not appear to be any drop in Bull Island numbers!

Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
This godwit does not breed in Ireland, but is an Island regular in winter, and can be
observed in considerable numbers at times.

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Commonly seen on the mudflats at low tide, particularly in winter.
The bird in the foreground is a male in breeding colours.

"Red Boats at Anchor"
I think these little dinghies are used by the long established sea scout troop on the island.
The Hill of Howth can be seen in the background.

Not long after sunrise I came upon this herd of Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus), but I retreated swiftly when a huge bull seal started moving surprisingly quickly across the sand towards me.

Merlin (Falco columbarius) A difficult bird to photograph, but I managed to get close enough to this female, to depress the shutter a couple of times before she flew away. A scarce Irish breeding species, which can occasionally be seen over the marsh at Bull Island on a bright winter's morning.