...that turned out to be not so dreary. It was out a dander with the dog around my neighbourhood, which leads down onto the Irish Sea. I was blowing a gale, damp, a truly miserable day. This is where I walk/run the dog everyday, whenever I can't get him down to the forest and I never see anything other than seagulls, pigeons, crows and other folk but on this wee dander but this occasion was different.
Instead of the usual scenery and wildlife I see everyday, I got to see a Grey Seal, Brent Geese and a Sparrow hawk taking out a pigeon :gj:
Too many this probably seems like the most unremarkable occasion but to me it made my day. We very rarely get to see the Grey Seals close to shore, at one point I was about twenty feet from him and he was bobbing his head up and down out of the water watching me but then submerged and swam a bit further out from the shoreline. The Geese very rarely land here on their flight down to their wintering grounds of Lough Neagh and Carlingford Lough and to get to see a Sparrow Hawk take out a pigeon in flight is amazing.
I got some pics but they're not the best of quality.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0854.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0855.jpg
You can see the Seals head just above the waterline (I need a decent camera with a good zoom)
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0856.jpg
Again you can just see his head above the waterline
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0857.jpg
And again
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0858.jpg
Anyone for seaweed
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0859.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0860.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0861.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0867.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0868.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0869.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0871.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0872.jpg
There he is again. Right at the other end of the promenade. The big lad must have been keeping an eye on me
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0873.jpg
Brent Geese, I'm near certain, at first I thought they were Canada Geese but on a bit of comparing I think they are Brent.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0878.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0879.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0880.jpg
And the aftermath of the Sparrow Hawk attack. Just a pity I didn't get a shot of the Sparrow Hawk itself
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0881.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...7/100_0882.jpg
Sorry folks about the long and probably very uninteresting thread but it made my day plus all of this is just a short stroll form house :D