Your observations on nature
Recently on Tramore beach I found five dead dolphins on the high water line. All appeared to be adult and had no obvious injuries.
Dermot Mowatt, Sutton, Dublin 13
I suspect they were caught as bycatch in fishing nets.
In the last week in October, in a Dublin suburban cemetery, I saw a very large bumblebee, about two-and-a-half times normal size, visiting heather flowers.
David Nolan, Santry, Dublin, 9
It was probably the queen of Bombus terrestris, which is the largest of our bumblebees; workers and males are smaller. She would have built up her fat body before overwintering and would also have a distensible honey stomach filled with thick honey.
In the third week of October, I saw a flock of about 20 waxwings on Inishbofin feeding on late blackberries. Wasn't that a bit early for them?
Caimin Coyne, Inishbofin, Co Galway
It's also most unusual to see them in the West. Scandinavian waxwings reach the suburban gardens on the east coast in mid-winter. They must have been helped on their way by the recent easterly storm.