The finals of the IPF National Nature competition 2014/2015 took place this weekend (Sunday Feb 22nd) at Hotel Kilkenny, and I’m delighted to have won the best colour print with my photograph of a heron taken along the bank of the Grand Canal in Naas, Co. Kildare. I was even more delighted to have won the best image overall!

I took the photo in November 2013 along the Grand Canal in Naas (at Lock 5 to be precise) which is close to where I live. I’ve been taking photographs along the canal for several years and herons are a common subject.

On this particular dull and rainy day I was driving along the canal and spotted the heron at the lock gate. I pulled in and got out my camera, and almost immediately the heron dived into the water and emerged with the pike. There were some people walking a dog coming towards me so I moved in a bit closer and managed to get a few photos before the heron flew to the other side of the canal. Once there, he proceeded to swallow that fish and then catch another pike just a few minutes later.

The pike did not put up any struggle so I think that the heron had killed it instantly. It’s beak had speared the pike through the top of the head (hence the title of the image) and its eyes look lifeless in the photo.

So, a lucky day for me. I didn’t have to wait long at all (which is unusual for nature photography). Not so lucky for the pike.

I would like to thank the generous sponsors of the IPF Nature Competition of this year – Whites Photo Centre Kilkenny and Fujilfilm Ireland – for their support. The prizes will be put to good use!

I’d also like to congratulate all of the participants and other winners on the day. There were some beautiful photographs and some very stiff competition. All of the winning images can be seen on the IPF website.

Can’t get you out of my head

I used a block of wood to make a bird bath for the back garden and have been filling it several times a day with water. Some birds have started using it regularly to bathe in and I managed to get a few photos. Now if only I could stop them using it as a toilet …

I took these while sitting comfortably in my conservatory, which I now consider to be my 5-star hide.

I went down to the Old Head of Kinsale the other day to try to get some photos of  birds in flight. Well, you might as well start with the common ones, and gulls are pretty common there. I was reasonably happy with a few of the photos I got, including a couple of a fulmar that occasionally flew by.

I took a trip to the Saltee Islands yesterday on a beautiful sunny day. The light was a bit too harsh for photography, but I managed to get some photos that I am happy with.

I am always careful not to alarm or disturb the birds.