It took a while, but this grey phalarope eventually left the vast muddy expanse where it was feeding. and floated out for a preen while blown downstream in the wind. I was almost running after it! They are remarkably tame birds.

Morning coffee at home and look who flew past. Grab shots through the double-glazed window, but nice to see the local juvenile white-tailed sea eagle.

Curlew sandpipers showing well on the beach at Ballynamona in east Cork.

Doesn't time fly! Same place, two pectoral sandpipers, but only about 45 years apart. The 'descendants' obviously like Shanagarry in east Cork.

A wee wren waiting patiently for me to move on from one of the hides at Harper's Island Nature Reserve in order to feed its nestlings somewhere nearby. I did. @IslandWetlands

Early morning at the Gearagh, but, oh 'deer', the main carpark is closed for several days, as they are pouring concrete. Afternoon cuppa at home watching a fox coming out of the woodwork, then a female sparrowhawk flypast. The hoodies missed her as they were dismantling a rabbit.

It was cooold up in the clouds in the Cirque de Gavarnie in the Pyrenees recently. Even the choughs had to contend with snow and hailstones.

Dive bombing alpine choughs.

An alpine accentor on lichen.

Alpine choughs on the move with nesting material.

An alpine chough missing a bit.

Apart from the two well established wildlife wall displays there, I never knew that one of my stormy wave crashing photographs had been enlarged and mounted behind the counter in the café at Mizen Head. Taken at nearby Galley Cove.

Moorhens duelling at dawn.

Great crested grebes, and a cormorant, gathering in the early morning mist at the Gearagh.

The Danish sail training ship 'Danmark' sailing past Blackball Head Napoleonic signal watch tower on its way into Bantry Bay and Glengarriff. Pity about the heat haze. @DMA_SFS @MaritimeBantry @visitbantry1

Some 3 weeks ago, I stopped outside an old building in West Cork to check out a chough site, and the car was attacked by a deranged pied wagtail. Today it ignored me but was repeatedly attacking his reflection in any window. Birdbrain with a headache?

A dunnock on its favourite perch, but watched by a ghostly hooded crow in the background.

A common sandpiper catching the early morning sun at the Gearagh.

More junk going down one of my chimneys. However I have left that one open for the jackdaws who have used it for many years. I used to watch them in closeup with that little camera, but it has since died and I'm not sure I can climb up there again to replace it.

The lesser yellowlegs closing in on a surprised shelduck at Harper's Island Wetlands.

Time for a drink for this wood pigeon during the current hot spell.

This young grey heron was mesmerised by the mating carp at the Lough in Cork.

Starling slurp.

My ring is nicer than yours. You can't beat a good coot fight.

Quite a rare occurrence. A leucistic red kite seen in Wales recently. Only a few such birds exist in the world.

A greylag goose's amazing symmetrical and circular plumage pattern when seen head on.

The lovely black and white pattern of a magpie in flight.

Scanning the garden and nearby field on this lovely warm evening with the thermal imager and was able to follow several cockchafers, aka maybugs flying around. They really glow in the dark. Found one in the garden earlier on.

No nuthatches in Ireland unfortunately, but don't you love the colourful underparts of this Welsh bird.

A delightful whinchat in full cry at daybreak.

Great news. Only a week out, first batch sold out and now No. 3 in the Bestsellers Non Fiction list in Ireland. @theobrienpress.bsky.social

Blackbird worm tosser.

Poetry in motion from the slow slide film archives. A red-rumped swallow lift off.

More junk going up into my roof space!

A bunny watching a pair of courting jackdaws.

An impressive search pattern by the Waterford air sea rescue helicopter for the missing yachtsman off the south coast. @IrishCoastGuard @flightradar24

Chough flypast.

Blackbird and rabbits.

Blackbird on the run past a song thrush.

Early morning great crested grebe.

Chough overhead.

Nettle bunny.

Gearagh grebe 'n goose.

A male greenfinch blending in berberis.

While one song thrush was gathering nesting material, its mate was actively feeding a couple of well grown youngsters nearby. Early busy birds!

In book news, this is a friend & favourite author @jokerrigan1.bsky.social. (She just happens to also be an accomplished knitter!👍👍) I've preordered my copy of Irish Fairy Forts, Portals to The Past from The O'Brien Press in Ireland & I can't wait to get my hands on it. www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

Blackthorn and gorse hedgerows giving a wonderful splash of colour to the countryside this year. Unfortunately the former is already starting to fade. Hopefully the later hawthorns will be as good.

Two pals sharing a patch of sunshine.

Gorse on Dunlough Bay in West Cork.

Couldn't resist it. Buoy and gull 🥰