BRENT GEESE flying over Dublin has become quite a common sight, as the population has increased to a whopping 40,000 after an exceptional breeding season in the Canadian Arctic in 2007, writes Michael Viney.
This has put great pressure on limited food resources in the traditional coastal sites, and the geese are increasingly flying inland. Recently up to 1,200 have been seen in Tymon Park in west Dublin.
... Oscar Merne, Bray, Co Wicklow
I saw a hawk hovering, then plummet and fly to some rocks to eat what it had caught. It was soft brown with dark marks.
... Rosemary Carr, Cashel, Co Galway
Probably a female kestrel.
In recent summers we have had invasions of millipedes into the house. Why do they leave vegetation?
... Charles Breslin, Bunbeg, Co Donegal
Millipedes feed on decaying vegetation but invade buildings when the ground gets either too wet or too dry.
A fox that came into our garden was almost completely hairless from halfway down the back, and the tail was like a root.
... Declan Carty, Sandymount, Dublin 4
Foxes moult progressively from early in the year, and the fur is not fully replaced until November.
Michael Viney welcomes observations at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo; e-mail: viney@anu.ie
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