Greater spotted woodpeckers were seen by three people in a square mile around Achill Sound and Shraheens. One of the sightings, at a feeder, follows the finding of a dead one, killed by a cat, a couple of years ago.
John Sweeney
Achill Sound, Co Mayo
When playing golf in Druid's Heath, near Kilcoole, we saw six dabchicks (little grebes) diving in a small pond. It is undoubtedly the fastest dive I've seen – some kind of side twist and flick of the wing.
Paddy Demery
Kilcoole, Co Wicklow
They certainly disappear in a flash.
I enclose a bag containing a fungus. In 2013-14 it was here and there on the gravel in front of my house. This year it almost covers the gravel. It can be picked and does not cling to the stones. It shrinks in the sun and plumps up in the rain.
Terry Myler
Enniskerry, Co Wicklow
It is a blue-green alga (cyanobacteria) called nostoc. It springs up on gravel areas for no apparent reason and can persist for years. Bleach can help to kill it – or get an algae killer from a good garden centre.
I seem to have an infestation of bluebottles. They are different from the normal variety, being more sluggish and easier to swat, and they make no sound.
Bill Rutherford
Clontarf, Dublin
You have had an invasion of cluster flies. In spring they lay their eggs in the soil, which hatch into larvae and feed on earthworms, then pupate in the soil and later become flies. They feed on fruit and flower nectar. When colder weather arrives they crawl upwards and enter openings under eaves in buildings, where they normally remain in roof spaces until spring.
Ethna Viney welcomes observations at Thallabawn, Louisburgh, Co Mayo, or by email at viney@anu.ie. Please include a postal address