Butterbugs

I must admit, I’ve never been much of a fan of insects, arachnids and other creepy crawlies. It’s not because I dislike them or run away from them but rather the fact that I could never see or catalogue them all. A group like birds is manageable; there are 2 species of Sparrow in Ireland and 2 species of wagtail etc... Insects however have over a million described species worldwide. So many species are discovered yearly that it seems a task implausible to catalogue them all. In short, I have no way to read about or photograph or see all of them or even a fraction of them, consequently I ignore the list that could never be finished and concentrate on groups with less species.

Recently though, I saw this tiny blue butterfly (above) which turned out to a holly blue and I decided to do some research, turns out Ireland really doesn’t have that many butterfly species. I found this great website with its helpful list and started pointing the camera at some more species http://www.irishbutterflies.com. It will never be as big an obsession as birds but it is none the less quite entertaining. The white butterflies, peacock, small tortoiseshell and speckled wood seem to be quite common in Cork city and who knows, I may just find the rest as well!

The two red ones I’ve found, small tortoiseshell (right) and peacock (below) are both relatively easy to find and can be seen commonly on the UCC grounds and in Fitzgerald Park. I’ve spotted a red admiral too in Fota but have yet to spot (or photograph) one in the city centre. Fingers crossed!

Speckled woods are also very common and reveal a surprisingly intricate wing pattern despite their brown colouration. I see a lot of them on the Lee river walks but can be found in most of the city’s green zones.

Finally several species of white butterfly can be found around the city, the green veined white seems to be the most common (below) and is the only species I have positively identified other then the orange tip. More pics coming soon!

Some random flies, no idea what they are. 

 

Robin of the day!

Blarney

Today I’ll venture outside the city to the town of Blarney which lies about twenty minutes drive (or bus ride) outside Cork city. The castle within its grounds is world renowned and visited by rather a lot of tourists yearly who like to get their picture taken whilst they kiss a stone. No I’m not mocking the place I’m just poking fun at a tourist industry that adds a somewhat whimsical dimension to genuine archaeology (I understand the need for reservation and safety, but adding concrete floors to a castle, really!?). Ahem...anyway, this place is not just a castle but also has a large wooded area that surrounds it full of interesting creatures.

The presence of a large lordly house and extensive gardens make the whole place feel like a miniature model version of Killarney national park. Plenty of rooks, jackdaws, hooded crows (below), magpies, rock doves and wood pigeons to be found all around the place this time of year.

Additionally an impressive amount of songbirds can be found enjoying the scattered trees of the gardens. Robins, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, blackbirds, song trushes, house sparrows and linnets can all be seen regularly around the grounds and can be quite approachable. The aged walls of the castle too allow for tree creepers, goldcrests and tits to nest (blue tit on right).

Again, like Killarney, the grounds are surrounded by a mixture of farmland and woodland with various paths running through them. The forest path is quite an enjoyable twenty minute stroll, (not sure why the sign says an hour and a half ??) and has an impressive variety of vegetation including deciduous, pine and even some very fancy looking ferns. These trees are filled with the sounds of songbirds going about their routines, especially robins and blackbirds but also the occasional blackcap warbler (left). Notably a lot of rabbits live in the forest and can regularly be glimpsed from the path.

The forest eventually opens out to a small lake surrounded by forestry. This time of year only the occasional moorhen, heron, warbler or mallard can be seen from the lakes limited access points but an impressive number of insect species can be seen here.  Several species of butterfly and damselfly can be seen here and are so common that photographing them is relatively easy. 

 

The forest and lake walk can be done as one circular journey which takes about an hour to complete, it may not be the largest place but the fact that it’s close to the city, its picturesque views and its varied flora and fauna certainly make it worth visiting for a photograph or two or just a day in the sun!

 (Please note, bird photographs weren't actually taken in Blarney but are rather indicative of actual sightings)

Brief digressions, pheasantries

With the lousy weather and onset of exam time I have barely had any time to explore Cork’s greener areas lately, about all I get time for is my usual stroll through the river walk, on through the UCC grounds and back into town for coffee. Usually this walk leads to more robin pictures then I have possible use for (I think I have 67 robin pictures) and very little else. Most days have a couple minutes of wren and dunnock chasing time which more often than not leads me to have pictures of greenery instead of a bird.The dunnock on the left is a perfect example of what usually happens when I go looking for a good dunnock picture.

Today however I had the good fortune to run into a male pheasant who seemed as surprised as I was at the encounter but to my delight did not instantly take flight, instead it froze and observed me for about a minute before walking off. Thankfully I finally managed to get a full body shot of this stunning bird for my collection. Hopefully I will get a chance to find some hen pheasants this Summer!

Pheasants where introduced to Ireland but proved so adaptable that they spread into a variety of habitats. In Cork they can be found in areas of long grass, ditches and near trees. The easiest way to find them is to follow the distinctive call of the male pheasant which can be heard from quite a distance. Pheasants belong to the same family as domestic chickens and Indian peafowl (peacocks).

The rest of the walk was somewhat unremarkable although barn swallows and sand martins can now be seen in increased numbers skimming over the water of the river Lee. Also the chaffinch chicks seem to be venturing out. This one was waiting to be fed by its busy parent.  Chaffinches are amongst the most common birds in Ireland but often go unnoticed as they tend to be concealed high up in the trees.

Nothing else much to report other than a couple of new shots of common birds. A slightly evil looking jackdaw and my robin of the day.  (68!)