ò Is there any truth in the belief that swans sing before they die? - Jeanette F Huber, Kinsale, Co Cork This is a universal myth giving rise to the term swansong. The experts say "no", they do not sing before death, hut that the difficult breathing of a dying swan could sound like a lament.
ò Recently I noticed what I took to be a small hawk like bird: sitting on the edge of the neighbour's shed. My neighbour keeps racing pigeons. It was the same size as a pigeon on but sat more upright. It had creamy streaks over its eyes just like a lady highlights her eyebrows. Its front seemed to be white or cream with bars running horizontal across it. It sat watching the loft very intently, now and again turning the head nearly through 360 degrees. Often it would look up to the sky. The bird sat for about 15 minutes then flew off further down the estate. - Noel Scott, Dublin 13 The white eye strip and the horizontal bars on the breast suggest that it was a sparrowhawk
ò I came across a small blue dragonfly half drowned in the canal and six others were coming at it from all angles and pushing it as if to rescue it. When I rescued it and landed it on the bank, the others flew away. - Lesley Whiteside, Mullingar, Co Westmeath It is more likely that the six others were attacking what sounds like the common damselfly. Dragonflies are voracious predators of the insects that live in wetlands. such as mayflies. caddis flies, mosquitoes and even immature dragonflies and damselflies.
Edited by Michael Viney, who welcomes observations sent to him at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey P0, Westport, Co Mayo or to email viney@anu.ie Observations sent by email should be accompanied by postal address as location is sometimes important to identification or behaviour.