This was a big day as you can see by all the places listed above. Let's take them one at a time.
Caherconnell Fort & Sheepdog Demonstrations: This was high on our list of things to see in Ireland, and because we are missing our own dog, Penny, we were all looking forward to this. The fact that the sheepdog demonstration is done almost everyday, I expected to see the animals running on automatic with little excitement. We were pleasantly surprised! The sheep seem to live in the moment with little recollection of yesterday's exercise, and the dogs are different ages and experience levels, at times, resembling toddlers who aren't listening well!
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| The main demonstration field. |
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| Two of the three dogs that worked the sheep. Rose on the left has the least experience herding and Lynn on the right has herded cattle for 3 years and just started herding sheep. The techniques are different. |
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| John has trained sheep dogs since he was 16. First he trains them to voice, and then to the whistle. Each dog has his own whistle (think Capt. VonTrapp in the Sound of Music). The whistle can be heard at greater distances and the dog will work for more than one person. Voices sound different, whistles sound the same. |
Demonstration #1: https://youtu.be/-dP5l1BLpUw
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| This ring of stones was the end goal. |
Demonstration #2: https://youtu.be/2T3VZ3Q9tQI
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| John explaining the different types of sheep and their uses. They were due to be shorn the following week. |
Demonstration #3: https://youtu.be/2ShuHcK_AiY
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| The dog kept scooting closer and closer and John had to get after her. |
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| The female dog is preferable because of her smaller size. The rocky landscape is tough on the paws and the lighter the dog, the less wear and tear on the paws. John also said the males get distracted from the sheep and like to go off exploring! |
Burren Birds of Prey Center: Since 2008, the center's mission has been to aid the conservation of birds of prey through visitor awareness and education. We saw two flying displays, one with the White Backed Vulture and one with a Saker falcon.
Duck your head! https://youtu.be/0HrxnADb2A8
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| Dyson, the White Backed Vulture. |
Vulture video #2: https://youtu.be/n9srxuzqsHQ
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| The digestive track of the vulture protects it from rabies, anthrax, and cholera. It can eat rotting meat with no ill effects. |
Vulture video #3: https://youtu.be/H9CXpFJxgEg
#4: https://youtu.be/ssihmG6uic8
#5: https://youtu.be/jJ-3SGxxepY
#6: https://youtu.be/hlXS7Yyo4c8
Dyson was my favorite! He really changed my mind about vultures!
#7: https://youtu.be/UvZkbF2GBwc
#8: https://youtu.be/jcXzNDMDD1g
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| Millie the Saker Falcon |
Saker falcon #1: https://youtu.be/BZjo4E97oXU
Saker falcon #2: https://youtu.be/30huv0FPvdo
Saker falcon #3: https://youtu.be/vcc38730xQI
Millie is the speck in the sky that dives down to James on the ground: https://youtu.be/d5TBGPdegfU
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| James sent Millie up into the sky until she was a little speck! When he wants her back, he twirls a rope with a fake animal on the end, and seeing it from far away, she dives down to catch it! He then trades her real food for the dummy and she gets back on his glove. She wears a radio tracker in the event she takes off for an explore. After the demonstration, James had to track and retrieve a falcon from an earlier show that did that very thing. |
Saker falcon #4: https://youtu.be/kuNQd6PsHsI
Saker falcon #5: https://youtu.be/l_RNs0TFKUw
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| Millie without her hood. |
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| Millie and Collin. I love the way she's looking at him! |
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| Millie and Clare. |
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| The family enjoying the flying demonstration. |
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| Snowy Owl |
Snowy Owl and bumble bee: https://youtu.be/xc1M6RL3HAQ
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| White Tailed Sea Eagle |
White Tailed Sea Eagle, he's BIG: https://youtu.be/keWh2aHRcUk
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| This Raven was playing with a toy car and wouldn't let go of it! The worker confirmed that it was not stuck to his foot. |
Raven and toy car: https://youtu.be/KT20R3uZ0JA
After the birds, we walked up the hill to the Aillwee Cave entrance. This cave was formed in limestone by an underground trickle of water that eventually turned into an underground river.
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| The view from the cave mouth. |
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| Same view from the cave mouth. |
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| The cave mouth. |
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| Our guide said the man that discovered the cave waited 30 years before telling anyone about it. The guide said it was the very first "man cave"! |
The Burren is a region in County Clare of striking characteristics. We felt like we were on another planet. The area we were in is made up mostly of limestone. Here is a helpful website if you want to know more. http://www.burrengeopark.ie/learn-engage/geology-of-the-burren/
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| Rod on the Burren. |
Walking the Burren: https://youtu.be/sGfNtzlr-3k
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| Walking was tricky. |
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| The Burren surprisingly claims a large variety of flora. |
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| Love the tenacity of this purple flower. |
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| Large cracks in the limestone. |
360 of the Burren: https://youtu.be/doxaFjwUzDQ
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| The orange van snaking down the rise caught my eye. |
The Poulnabrone Tomb was the last stop of the day.
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| Poulnabrone Tomb. |
A full and lovely day of Ireland!
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