Michael Viney responds to queries and observations on nature
I was delighted to see a jay coming to my bird table at the same time every morning for peanuts and breadcrumbs. The other birds stayed well back from the table until the jay had had his fill. Pauline MacMahon, Avoca, Co Wicklow
Jays are plentiful in Wicklow and they sometimes come to gardens in winter. The nuts were a nice surprise for your visitor.
For many years we have had a hanging birdseed container in the garden. A covey of pigeons wait for the seeds which fall from the rich tits' table. This winter an acrobatic pigeon has learnt to clutch the bottom rim and, flapping madly, hang on long enough to get some seed. It also serves his waiting brethren, since more seeds fall than he manages to peck. Joss and Nora Lynam, Ardilea, Dublin 14
Are off-white, light-brown cormorants common? I saw one in Dingle Bay on December 17th. J Kelly, Terenure, Dublin 6W
It was a juvenile cormorant which keeps its light feathers for nearly a year.