Woolly Bear Confrontation

Today I was carrying out a Bird Atlas Survey close to Fair Head to the east of Ballycastle. Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Buzzards and a Peregrine were among the bird highlights'

As I walked back along the path below the impressive cliffs I saw the large hairy caterpillar of the Garden Tiger Moth wandered across a boulder beside me. As it came down the side I lay on the path to get a low angle shot of it walking towards me.

This is an impressive and colourful species in both its caterpillar and adult stages of life and relatively common thorughout Northern Ireland.