Looking out from the conservatory recently I saw a large bird (not the usual garden bird) alight on the hypericum. It was beige brown with white stripes, a long fan tail and the head was owl-like. I only got a quick glimpse of it, what could it be?
Eileen Reynolds, Kilkenny
It was probably a female sparrowhawk which often hunts along hedges.
In mid-October while driving past the lower lake in Glendalough I had a most extraordinary experience. I thought the water had gone from the lake and the crater was lined with trees and bushes right to the bottom. There was no wind and the surface of the water reflected everything. Does this illusion happen often and is it a combination of time and windless conditions?
Margaret Casey, Churchtown, Dublin 14
It is, indeed, an enchanting sight and happens whenever there is no wind and the light is right.
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