While I was watching the finches, tits, robins and wrens at my large bird table on the shores of Lough Corrib, suddenly they all flew away. The reason apparently was a magpie-looking bird perched in a nearby tree surveying the scene. It was slightly smaller than a magpie, had light blue on its back, deep brown body and black tail. John Keogh, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
It was undoubtedly a jay - not an uncommon sight along the leafy shores of Lough Corrib.
During the recent cold spell our small lake was half frozen over. One sunny day about midmorning I noticed eight whooper swans spaced out in line abreast along the water/ice boundary. They were all facing the ice sheet and were feeding on something in the water. After about half-an-hour they moved to the shore. Some mallard took their place but the swans quickly chased them away. I wonder whether the upheaval of water layers that takes place in a lake at or near freezing point could have brought up some debris of flora and fauna from the lake bottom which became trapped in the ice sheet and was released during the daytime thaw.
I also wondered why the swans chased the mallards away when they normally seem to get on quite well together.
Gilbert Kennedy, Gortahork, Co Donegal
Naas, Co Kildare.
Edited by Michael Viney, who welcomes observations sent to him at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo. e-mail viney@anu.ie