For anyone who has ever noticed anything unusual or interesting in the countryside and were at a loss to explain it or would just like to pass the news on, Michael Viney is the man with the knowledge
On March 2nd, while cycling along the Dodder River from Dartry towards Milltown, I spotted a bird sitting on a door (yes a door!) in the middle of the river beside the nine arches bridge. It was about three feet high, with an overall colour of beautiful petrol blue, the wing feathers a muddy brown. It had a slight hook at the tip of its beak. White feathers overlaid the blue of the head, with a small crested/tufted patch in blue at the top of its head. At the cheek, it had a bright orange and grey patch nearly directly under the eye. It had a small white area near the end of the wing tip and its feet were large and webbed. What was it?
Frances van Velzen, Rathfarnham, Dublin
It was a cormorant in mating plumage.
While hillwalking in Wicklow on St Patrick's weekend we came across a number of pools in which frogs were producing spawn. The edges of some of the pools were littered with the bodies of frogs. What is the cause of this?
Paul Barron, Templeogue, Dublin
These were the female casualties of amplexus by several male frogs; the unfortunate female is squeezed to death by a number of frogs grasping her at the same time.
Blue tits discovered half a century ago that by pecking through the tops of milk bottles they could get milk. Now those nifty little birds have moved with the times; thay have drilled into the wax carton on my doorstep.
Carole Cullen, Monkstown, Co Dublin
• Send observations to Michael Viney at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo. E-mail: viney@anu.ie
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