The Great Saltee, May 2011

After weeks of disappointing weather - it was either too wet, too windy or a combination of both  -  I finally got to make my annual visit to the Great Saltee Island off the Wexford coast last Saturday. The purpose of the trip was to photograph birds -  specifically: Gannets, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Cormorants, Shags, Guillemots and, if lucky, some Puffins as well - but the Great Saltee is more than just a location where such wildlife is abundant. There is a refreshing sense of leaving civilisation behind when one lands on the shore. There is a whole desert island vibe going down and the various monuments and inscriptions to "Prince Michael The First" add an attractive air of eccentricity to the place. ( The Saltees are privately owned by the Neale family - Michael Neale who died in 1998 gave himself that regal title -   and the sole building on the island is their holiday home). For more on the Saltees see: http://www.salteeislands.info/

I was accompanied by friends Colm Ryan and Claudia Wagner from Midleton and Ed Guiry from Youghal. Claudia and Ed are fellow photographers whose work can see seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/hedirey/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/39113677@N07/

There were some Puffins about but not a lot. I've found over the last few years that Skellig Michael off the Kerry coast is a better place for seeing Puffins up close. All the other bird species were plentiful with the Gannets again exhibiting total unconcern for the proximity of humans. Claudia, who is German, tells me that the German word for Gannet is "Tölpel" meaning "idiot" and it derives from the time when Gannets were widely eaten in Germany and yet allowed themselves to be caught so easily.

Here are some pics from the day: