I was on holiday in Co Sligo when I saw an unusual bird about 10 feet away. It was like a sparrow but perhaps slightly larger, darkish brown all over except for one unusual feature : it had red spots on its back - maybe about 15 of them. - Padraig McCarthy, Wicklow.
There have been reports of sparrows with orange spots on their heads and backs which are thought to be pollen from the large panicles of flowers on New Zealand flax. They may have been seeking insects among the flowers.
IN the Raven Woods nature reserve at Curracloe, a friend and I spotted numerous unfamiliar insects. They were at least 25 mm in length, excluding the two antennae, had a solid black body, with wings folded back like a jet fighter. The wings on top were translucent black with red spots, 2mm in diameter and full red underwing. When flying they looked more like big bees than butterflies. They were active on various plants including thistles. - Paul Delahunty, Dublin.
They sound like the day-flying six-spot burnet moths. The forewings would have been translucent dark green and the body deep, dark-green.
MARY Hanly, St Mary's, Salthill, sent for identification a beautiful moth, which she found on Inishbofin. It had chocolatebrown markings on a white background on the forewing and orange hindwings, and was a garden tiger. Its caterpillars are the "woolly bears" we see scurrying across roads or open spaces.
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 as location is sometimes important to identification or behaviour.