. On March 24th I saw two or three what I think were swifts. They were certainly either swifts or swallows. Is this very early?
Rosemary Ryan, Callan, Co Kilkenny
The earliest swifts do not arrive until the end of April, but the earliest swallow can arrive early in March. Swallows have long tails with two streamers and white underparts, while swifts have shorter tails with a deep fork and their underparts are sooty brown.
. One night in mid March an animal crossed the road in front of the car. It was approximately 750 millimetres in length (one third of which was tail), mottled shades of brown with apparent orangish shading, pale patch under the chin, legs shorter than a cat, with a face somewhat like a ferret, but much bigger.
It crossed the road quickly in a rolling, bounding type of motion. It was neither fox, badger, mink, cat nor otter. I have never seen a pine marten which I understand is rather rare. The area consists of marginal land, mixed woodland, plantations of sitka and lodge pole pine.
Howard Cusack, Ballinamore, Co Leitrim
It sounds like a pine marten; the length and general description are right. The colour is a lustrous brown, but it may have looked mottled and tinged with orange in the lights of the car. Pine martens have been scarce but they have been steadily spreading out from locations in Clare and Connacht.