These photographs were taken last autumn on the Mullet Peninsula here in County Mayo as the wild Atlantic was churned up by strong winds.
Wild Atlantic – Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #150 – Wild
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Tag Archives: Ireland
Wordless Wednesday 6th January
Nephin Mountain, Co Mayo
Wild Atlantic waves
Inspiration comes from so many places. For me though nature is my muse. It can be wild flora or fauna or just wild places. A couple of weekends ago we had to opportunity to visit the coast on a very windy day. While it wasn’t cold the strong wind meant warm hats were required and raincoats, to keep the worst of the chill out. The waves were awe inspiring. The power of them electrifying. I could have stood there and watched them all day.
The gulls appear almost to be playing in the wind – enjoying it’s strength and force as much as we were.
These small sanderling (photo below) were just looking for their dinner though, and seemed oblivious to the waves thundering around them.
And the greatest surprise of all was this frog. A stream, swelled with recent rainwater and therefore gushing down the strand had obviously swept this poor hapless amphibian onto the shore. Needless to say we rescued it – for it would surely have become dinner for a hungry gull or at least been washed into the sea by the next big wave. And we returned it hopefully to the safety of the dunes further up shore.
An awe-inspiring day. And humbling to see the power of nature.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #114 – Negative Space
This week Amy asks us to share images of negative space in photography. This is a new concept for me, but I like the idea. So here are some shots that I hope fit the challenge.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #108 – Sanctuary
Nature is my Sanctuary. Being out in nature’s open spaces……..
Looking across to Achill Island, west coast of Ireland
Be it beach or hills…..
Croaghmoyle Natural Heritage Area
But also enjoying the wildlife in the garden………………
Blackbird 
Juvenile robin
But above all getting up and close to our amazing bumblebees…………….
white tailed bee on knapweed
And butterflies…………………..
Peacock butterfly
And all of mother nature.
sow-thistle seed head
Biodiversity week – 2020
So here in Ireland we should be celebrating Biodiversity week. Usually there would be lots of events on, but of course with lockdown things are postponed or cancelled. But we can still celebrated online. For me it is a week to celebrate our wonderful biodiversity. So I want to start with a celebration of garden biodiversity as it is right outside our door. Just by providing a little bit of wildness in our gardens we can provide homes for some wonderful creatures. (All the photographs below have been taken in my garden).
Our wildlife pond supports frogs, newts and damselflies to name just a few.
frog 
Large red damselfly
We have four nest just on our house alone – two starling nests, a swallow’s nest and one wren’s nest. The young starlings from one of the nests fledged over the weekend. Below are photos of the adults who have been very busy finding food.
Starling 
Starling
Flowers – native and cultivated provide food for pollinators. More on bees on Wednesday world bee day.
Bumblebee on sage 
Common carder bee on bush vetch
Wildflower meadows and wilder areas provide homes for a myriad of insects, and the insects and the seeds of the flowers in turn, feed the birds and small mammals.
Caterpillars 
Hawthorn shieldbug
A little bit of wildness may also attract some mammals to the garden. We had a hare visit this weekend (photo on left taken by my son).
Irish hare 
Irish hare
If you live in Ireland look out for online activities this week.
There is a Backyard Bioblitz from May 22nd – 24th
There is a #LoveNature campaign to share all the things you love about nature.
If you are outside Ireland check out the UN page on biodiversity day.
Plants after rain
After an exceptionally wet winter here in Ireland, we have had a really dry spring. But we did have some rain overnight and this morning. This allowed me to take some photographs of some wet plants for the lens-artist challenge this week – all wet. In order to increase the impact of the raindrops, I did a bit of adjusting of the shadows afterwards.
Autumn olive leaf
Buttercup
Dandelion clocks
Dandelion
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #92 – Going Back – the Second Time Around
We visited The Burren in County Clare last August. If I was to return I would go in early spring to see the famed spring flowers. The late summer flowers were stunning but when botanists speak of The Burren they talk about the spring flowers particularly.
The Burren, Co. Clare
Another place I would love to return to is Clare Island. We visited in January 2018, but if I was to return I would go in the early summer to see the wildflowers and nesting sea birds.
Clare Island, Co Mayo
One day, when we are back to some form of normality, we will again visit the many amazing places we can find in Ireland.
Clare Island, Co. Mayo
From a distance
What strikes me when I am reading other bloggers posts is that it doesn’t matter where in the world we are, our experience of covid-19 and the restrictions that have been necessarily imposed on us, are all very similar. People are being very stoic. We are getting on with our lives. The fact that the children are at home when they should be at school, people are taking in the stride. The fact that we have to work from home means many of us are using technology a lot more – technology we probably should have been using better to reduce travelling before this.
Primroses
And many of us are taking time, while we find ourselves having to distance ourselves from our family and friends, to enjoy the wonders of nature.
So to give you hope, and make you feel like taking that walk (and if you are in Ireland that means no more than 2km from your home) – here are some spring images to inspire. All these are taken close to my home. And I know I am blessed to have countryside that I can enjoy while others are stuck in flats or housing estates – so if that is you, these are especially for you.
Bumblebee 
Solitary bee
Bumblebee on willow 
willow catkin
larch coming into leaf
And finally, our neighbour’s donkey viewed with a 40-150mm lens, from a distance. Keep safe and well.
