There have been no birds in my blog since October. I looked through my files and opened one with a note saying “for revision”, a long forgotten walk along the estuary in Tramore, Co Waterford. This place is known for its great diversity of waterfowl, gull and wader species, especially in winter months, but there is a number of songbirds residing there throughout the year. I selected some photographs and was not surprised to find that all the birds were facing the same direction. They are facing the wind. They will fly into the wind using its energy and the currents.
The same like the airplanes, these Lapwings take off and land into the wind.
All young birds must learn it.
Goldfinches,
Stonechats,
Pipits,
Dunnocks,
Linnets.
I spent hours there that day, till the golden sunset, and even after.
What I want to say is that facing the wind is an advantage. Wind is not an obstacle. Flying into the wind gives birds the lift they need, and control of flight. Birds knew this from the beginning of the World. When we face something that resists the forward motion, this might as well be the right time to fly.
February is my Blogoversary month. Thank you for your friendship and support. I love you all.
After the long absence, I am back to blogging. Summer solstice days have got 9 1/2 extra hours of light in my region. I am sharing the light and warmth of Irish summer with you, my friends.
St. John’s river walk continues 🙂 You will start at Poleberry, walk along the sport grounds and Tramore Road Business Park, cross the Inner Ring road and stop at the Cherrymount foot bridge. I will leave some short captions over the photographs – you can read them as you walk. But first please watch two videos.
A video courtesy of a Friend of St. John’s River Eoin Nevins brings you back to 2007 – it shows the part of the river you have visited in my previous blog posts.
The other video is about the old Waterford-Tramore railway. The part of the cycling/walkway you are on was constructed along the line of this railway and opened in August 2015.
If you want to know more about our birds, here is a helpful link. When I struggle to identify a bird, I simply send a bird picture to Birdwatch Ireland and always get a prompt reply.
Starlings gather on the sports field netting after the sunset.
Wrens are common on this stretch of the river. They will wait until you walk past, and start singing right behind your back.
Female Blackbird is jerking her tail in annoyance: too many dogs, too many people.
Cormorant is getting ready for his fishing trip.
Cormorants can stay under water a whole minute.
A couple of very shy Moorhens settled at this stretch of the river. They are safe behind the high fencing.
After crossing the Inner Ring road, you are greeted with the bird songs. This is a great bird watching opportunity close to the city boundaries.
Dunnock on the other side of the river sings his head off. Generally shy birds, Dunnocks are seldom seen in the open space. You can read some interesting facts about dunnocks in this article.
A great singer, Eurasian blackcap, could be a winter guest from the Central Europe. Irish population of Blackcaps migrate to North Africa in the autumn.
More wrens in the bushy area. They are one of my favorite birds.
The song thrush is speckled with dark heart-shaped spots, and both male and female look similar. The male Song thrush has a loud and clear song.
You can listen to the Blackbird’s song here to compare. The bird in the picture is a female, you can hear a female song in this video, just wait a couple of seconds. These birds are very vocal, and they have a range of warning calls.
The Collared dove and Wood pigeon are common along the river walk.
This is a male Collared dove, and he is singing ( look at his throat).
Female Collared dove.
Napping Wood pigeon.
This is our winter guest Redwing, a Thrush family bird from Iceland. More pictures in my blogpost here.
Greenfinch is also a rare guest.
Goldfinches are abundant around the Cherrymount foot bridge. When they are busy, you can come up quite close.
That is it for today. We continue our walk in two weeks. More bird sighting as you move closer to the source.
Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!
Have a happy week!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Making memories 