Fenor Bog boardwalk

Fenor bog

This is my last post from abroad 🙂 I am going back home soon, so I am spending every minute with my family and apologize for delayed replies to your wonderful comments. Thank you so much for bearing with me.

Fenor bog lays right behind the church in Fenor village, Co Waterford, overlooked by Ballyscanlon Hill. They say that 225 species of plants, birds, insects and animals have been recorded there. 500m long boardwalk allows visitors to enjoy serenity and beauty of this unique piece of natural heritage.

When I go to Fenor, I circle the bog at least five times, full of expectations for some unusual bird or reptile seeings, but nothing ever happens. I guess the best time is a very late afternoon, just before the sunset. Last time I saw a lizard who showed itself for a split second and then disappeared under the boardwalk. Still, something to remember.

What does this sign mean, I don’t know. I have been looking up Druid signs, but couldn’t find anything similar. Looks like an eye to me, which makes sense: enter the site, look around, don’t miss the marvels and secrets of Nature.

Fenor bog

Little Robin is looking for something to eat. These birds  don’t mind being photographed. In the bog, I have also seen wrens, blackbirds, field sparrows, chaffinches, starlings, and some birds I couldn’t identify.

robin

A pink touch of Ragged Robin.

flower

Red Campion, a close relative of Ragged Robin.

flower

Cuckooflower is sacred to the Fairies.

fenor bog

  Menyanthes, or Bogbean, is one of the prettiest wildflowers.

menyanthes

Marsh Cinquefoil’s red petals are not petals at all. They are sepals. The petals are dark and tiny. A cloud of tiny bumblebees are working the flowers. I change my settings to manual and patiently wait for the opportunities.

bumblebee

Sorry for posting three similar pictures – I like them all, and cannot decide which one I should post :). Bumblebees look so cute with the pollen baskets on their knees.

bumblebee

bumblebee

I make a full circle and start walking the bog again.

Fenor bog

This time I am lucky with Damselflies. I don’t recall ever seeing this one, with a red belly. It is a Large Red Damselfly.

dragonflie

Banded Demoiselle, male. Males and females differ in color and look like different species to those who don’t know.

dragonfly

Speckled Wood butterfly. Their caterpillars are bright green.

butterfly

This flower confused me. It is some kind of Blackberry, and it is supposed to have five petals. How is it that it has eight?

Blackberry

At noon, the church bells start ringing. It seems that the bells are recorded and played over loudspeakers. After I finish my walk, I go to visit the former Sacred tree which is now transformed into The Angel of Fenor  by a local artist John Hayes. The monument is towering in the church graveyard, attracting tourists.

2016- 432

I like this detail of the monument – the hands and the bird.

Fenor

You can look up a controversial priest Fr. Michael Kennedy who used to minister in the Dunhill/Fenor parish, and had taken an administrative leave from his post in 2006 after the allegations of misconduct ( I don’t know where he is now, but they say he was a well-liked man).  He is a third cousin of JFK, and retains close connections with the Kennedy clan. So, my next post is about JFK.

Thank you for visiting Fenor with me.

inese_mj_photographyHave a wonderful weekend!

157 comments

  1. I thought your flower images were fabulous! But I really liked the image of the little red robin – I do not seem them much anymore but grew up with them everywhere. Wonderful post!

    1. Yes, Bernadette, the thing does remind me of a Totem Poll 🙂 I am glad that the old tree was not wasted and made a magnificent sculpture. It took months to carve it.

  6. Sorry you missed the lizard. They are one of my favorite reptiles. Maybe next time! But wow, what an incredible place to see such a variety of animal, bug and plant life!

    1. Thank you so much, Laurie! I have been in some places where I saw a lizard every minute or something like that 🙂 In Ireland, you can live a year and never see one. It is why this bog is so special. I hope to take a picture next year 🙂

  8. Pamper yourself, Inese, as you travel back home. All the bitter sweetness of being with loved ones and yet having them live so far away surely takes its toll on the body and spirit. Bon voyage, and take care.

  9. Thank you for taking us to the bog with you, Ines! It sounds like you had a wonderful time travelling 🙂 I like the photo of the monument with the birds and the hands – it speaks of peace and freedom ❤

  11. You saw a lot of interest, it seems. It’s odd about the male and female damselflies being so unalike each other. It may confuse us, but I imagine it doesn’t trouble the damselflies very much. 🙂

    1. Thank you so much, Derrick! So probably is mine otherwise why did I put it first 🙂 I love these flowers too – I think they are very photogenic.

  15. My darling Inese, I would bear with you always. A breath taking blog…for me tinged with sadness on your behalf that you are coming away from your special loved ones. but a beautiful blog as aye. The picture of the wee robin is so sweet. And I did love the damselflies. A safe trip my friend even if it is one you probably don’t want to make xxxx.

    1. Thank you so much for loving this last glimpse of summer. I am already packing. My cough is so terrible that sure all the fellow passengers will hate my guts. xxxx

      1. Inese… I hope you are good on that plane and afterwards. I have such a shitty chest–a legacy of my childhood that I well know what a terrible cough is. You take care in all that re-conditioned air. I loved your last glimpse of summer–you are always summer in my heart. ( So NO passenger better look sideways at you. ) Look after yourself Inese, I know you will miss your ‘babies’ all of them and still put a brave face on here. x

        1. Oh yes, a brave face… I am crying right now, they all went to bed and I am sitting here and editing our last family photosession ( every year I take new pictures to replace the old ones on the wall). Life is so unjust sometimes, but I’d better focus on positive… I just worry how they will manage without me giving a hand.
          Thank you so much for your always kind words! Keep kissing your wee ones, hug them tight. Talk to you Tuesday, hope I get home in one piece – the bloody flights give me anxiety xxxxxx

        2. You ill get home safe my darling if not happy. Life is murder sometimes, it is what Silv hamster say…So not fair. My wee one is on holiday just now and I am missing not being able to kiss him so I can only imagine the tip of your sorrow. But as you say you have to focus on the positive. I have a friend whose son moved to New Zealand and this was a son who was so close to her. Anyway he does not even keep in touch. It breaks her heart. So I always try to remind myself there’s always worse than yourself. It can be hard sometimes though. Chin up always in the storm. You have a safe journey. xx

        3. My special Inese I want to reach out and touch your face there. It is so brave but so sad too. Your grandchildren are beautiful and have such love for you as you do for them. That all shines out. As for that wee one, I can see how hard it is to let her go. You just don’t want to but you know you must. You will see them again. May it be soon. Or at least seem to come quickly when you’ve left your heart behind.
          I do feel for my friend. She’s often in tears about it. She is such a family person.

          1. The older I get the more ‘family person ‘ I become…
            Picture was taken just an hour before we went to the airport. Thank you so much, love. The wee one will probably walk when I come over again. And I was only able to kiss her hair on the back of her head because of that bug 😦 xxxxxx

  16. You saw so many pretty and interesting things, captured so clearly in the photos. I love the march cinquefoil (my favourite is the second) and the look of the bogbean flower, which is so delicately frilly.

    1. Thank you so much! The bogbean flower picture is one of the oldest, taken in 2005. I think that it is one of the most beautiful wild flowers. Only orchids can compete with it 🙂 Marsh cinquefoil is another favorite. When the wetlands go, these species will also go 😦

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