Hurricane Katia hits the West Coast

September 17, 2011 • Leave a Comment

With the tail end of Hurricane Katia hitting the west coast of Ireland, I headed for Loop Head in County Clare.

Seabirds in Flight at Loop Head

Loop Head is a finger like peninsula jutting out into the sea on the Clare coast. To the south of the peninsula is the Shannon Estuary, while to the west and north, the peninsula is bounded by the mighty Atlantic Ocean.

Giant Wave off Loop Head

Apart from the amazing scenery, Loop Head has a lot to offer in terms of wildlife. Minke whales are seasonal visitors to Loop Head around September and October each year, attracted by the spawning herring shoals.

Minke Whale off Loop Head

As I was photographing along the headland a Minke surfaced briefly, but unfortunately I was too slow to catch it on camera. A litter later, further down the coast I managed to get a blurry snap as one surfaced further out.

Immature Herring Gull glides on updraft

There is also a large variety of seabirds to be seen at Loop Head. I was treated to an exciting aerobatic and diving display by a variety of birds, including; Herring Gulls, Shags, Cormorants, and Choughs.

Chough glides above the surf

With winds speeds reaching 40 mph it was difficulty enough to keep ones feet, let alone take photographs. By the time I got back to the car, after several hours shooting, I was glad to be in out of the elements.

Loop Head Lighthouse

Loop Head Headland

Despite the hardship endured, photographing in such conditions can be very rewarding. It's hard to beat high winds and rolling seas to add drama to a coastal scene. That combined with the spectacular scenery, its hard not to product good photography.

For more photos of Loop Head go to: www.kevinlangan.ie

Keywords: atlantic, clare, co. clare, coast, hurricane, hurricane katia, ireland, kevin langan, landscape photography, loop head

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