A fox appeared in my grandmother's garden in Rathfarnham and lay down to sun himself in the flowerbed.
I crept up on him to within four feet, very patiently crawling on my stomach. He watched me all the time but seemed unconcerned. After a while he walked on to the grass to lie down on the last patch of sunlight about two feet away from me. Suddenly he got up and I held out my hand towards him. He came up to me and started to play with my fingers gently with his paw and then with his mouth. He then went around me and played with my sandal by biting it. Then he left by jumping over the wall. It was a wonderful experience which I will never forget.
Hannah Wolfe (aged 11), Dublin
On September 8th a new-fledged cuckoo fluttered clumsily on to my bedroom window, to pick spiders and dead flies from the previous day's dense and dewy web. It flew around the house and returned to clean the window's upper half, gripping with its claws the upper cross-bar, and stabilising itself by spreading its hawk-like tail and wings, still slightly downy, against the glass. The sun shone clear through the bird's entire structure. It was a rare sighting coming after its parents were long gone to Africa, and as beautiful as anything I have seen.
Nick Harman, Co Mayo
Several letters refer to sightings of large birds of prey along the east coast. These are probably buzzards which are dispersing at this time of year. They have been breeding in the North for many years and have been spreading south.
Many correspondents have been worried about the fate of late broods of swallows. The young will remain here until strong enough to fly south and may leave as late as December.
Edited by Michael Viney, who welcomes observations sent to him at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo. e-mail: viney@anu.ie
Observations sent by e-mail should be accompanied by postal address.