Wild Ireland

We spent a wonderful hot and sunny week in South East Ireland.  So much of the countryside so unspoilt and full of wild flowers, insects, birds etc.  The rivers Nore and Barrow are stunning to walk along and full of life for those who stop to look.  Plenty of Hooded Crows, swallows, swifts, grey wagtails and dippers etc.  Dragonflies, Demoiselles everywhere along river and stream as well as a great variety of wildflowers which played host to meadow browns, ringlets,tortoiseshells and fritillaries.  Not a great variety of flora and fauna seen this time but what hit us most was the scale of the unspoilt countryside out there to explore ....... another time! 

Hooded Crow

Young Dipper

River Nore

Hooded Crow

Scabious

Male and female Banded Demoiselle

Spotted Orchid

Musk Mallow

Banded Demoiselle

Mountain River

Cotton Grass

Wild meadow

Ruddy Darter

Wild River Barrow

Young Swallow

Swallow at sunset