Critters on the Shore

On the Lough shore in front of my grandparents' house the other day I noticed what I thought were otter spraints, so I put my camera trap on a tree nearby to see if I could catch one on film. To my annoyance the camera trap slipped down the tree in the wind and was filming at an angle, but my annoyance soon disappeared  when I seen this little mustelid..




Lough Neagh is home to a great number of grey herons. Here one leisurely strolls past the camera.

Camera Trap Shots

After leaving my camera trap out for 2 nights in a little wooded area near my relatives' house, I had over 50 video clips to look through. Most of these were of rabbits hopping in and out of sight. I did however get a surprise. A pair of glowing eyes appeared in the corner of one video, accompanied by a pair of pointed ears. A fox. It seems to be wary of the light given off by the camera trap, it sniffs the air before slinking off into the darkness.



Another nice surprise I received, is a very short shot of a buzzard. It doesn't hang around long before taking flight.

Lough Neagh Evening

I consider myself very lucky to have grown up on the shores of the largest freshwater lake in the U.K. - Lough Neagh. Steeped in history and teeming with life, it is a wildlife lover's paradise. 

The other evening before sunset I went for a walk down the shore in front of my grandparents' house. I thought the light was beautiful, it was hard to tell where the Lough ended and the sky began. 

Coney Island, Lough Neagh

Tonight was a crisp, clear night so my uncle Colm and myself thought we'd try our hands at starscapes. It was fun experimenting with different shutter speeds and this image is my favourite from tonight.

Maghery Shore

A few old ones.

I was looking through my hard drive and found these little images and asked myself why I've never uploaded them to my blog. 

 This hedgehog was spotted at the bottom of our garden a couple of years ago. It was a nice surprise to wake up to

 I photographed this otter in Lake Windermere. There were 3, a mother and her two cubs. This family featured in our small documentary  the "Wildlife of Windermere". 

This creature also featured in our Windermere documentary. Though small, the stoat is very quick and extremely agile making it very difficult to capture on film. 

Trying out my Christmas present..

For Christmas this year I got a Bushnell camera trap. The first time trying it out I put it in a wooded area on the shores of Lough Neagh which I loved as a child. I caught footage of a few rabbits and to my delight, a badger!

                                         Badger

                                        Rabbits