Our family holiday this year was to the west coast of Ireland, with a few days in Dublin. The area of Clare was chosen to match the various interests of the family (sea, surf and wildlife).Much of the county consists of the Burren, a landscape of limestone pavements that reach from the hilltops to the sea, and with a mild climate this provides a variety of habitats for a huge range of plants (and not a few insects).
The first interesting bird to be seen was a Hooded Crow, in a housing estate in the city of Limerick, but they proved elusive for photographing until a couple were found on the dock of a bay.
The hollows made in the limestone by water over the ages (grykes, I believe) hold small specimens of a huge variety of plants, and even in the rain a clamber over the rock provides endless fascination.
Wood Sage
Harbells by a mossy clint
Maidenhair Spleenwort
Fragant orchid, flowering late near acid-loving heathers
Eyebright
The weather was not condicive to butterfly-finding (nor indeed to surfing, swimming or sunbathing) but I noticed that Green-veined and Wood Whites were far more frequent than the common British whites, and although Meadow Browns were frequent, not a single Gatekeeper was seen.
Dark Green Fritillary
Carline Thistle
A cute type of Scabious was common, with flower-heads of about an inch diameter, and with three heards to a stalk.Visits were made to the top and (by boat) the bottom of the Cliffs of Moher but most of the nesting seabirds had flown, leaving only a few rafts of Kittiwakes and some family parties of Shags [note - what is the collective noun for shags?]
A handful of Choughs patrolled the visitor centre at the cliff-top, looking out-of-place away from the rugged landscape that they normally frequent.
Also out of its normal habitat, a Rock Pipit used this boat as a perch.
Does anyone want to buy some suncream? Unused, honest!
No comments:
Post a Comment