Out of the corner of my eye I saw a sparrowhawk take a goldfinch from the Nyjer feeder. It went to ground and covered the prey with its wings, presumably to kill it. Next thing it was dive-bombed by a pigeon and took off rapidly. It flew past again with the pigeon in hot pursuit.
George Davis
Delgany, Co Wicklow
Recently my sister found a creature in her living room. I'm sending you a photograph. What is it?
Ann McCague
Scotstown, Co Monaghan
It is one of the stag beetles – a female, because it hasn't got the huge antlers of the male.
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I had quite a number of painted ladies visiting the verbena this summer.
Marian Carthy
Mohill, Co Leitrim
At the end of the summer I noticed a wasp-like insect, motionless on a rose petal, and a tiny white spider trying to drag it along. There was no web, and I wondered how the spider caught the insect.
Jim Callan
Tallaght, Dublin
It was the flower spider, Misumena vatia, a hunting crab spider that springs on its prey, which was a hoverfly.
From two local swans to 12 then 20 and, on October 3rd, 38 visitors. Welcome to the whooper swans. It's lovely to see Bunduff lake busy again.
Andrea McElroy
Mullaghmore, Co Sligo
Betty Gough, Frank Smyth and Stephanie Keenan all sent photographs and requested identification of the caterpillar of the pale tussock moth. We're reproducing Stephanie's photo.
Ethna Viney welcomes observations and photographs at Thallabawn, Louisburgh, Co Mayo, F28 F978, or by email at viney@anu.ie. Please include a postal address