I have a pond-like habitat in a large goldfish bowl. Early in May there were frog tadpoles in it of a wide variety of sizes. The largest were considerably larger than I have ever seen and had small legs. The smallest had no legs.
The inside of the bowl became covered with dark-brown algae (diatoms) when I introduced some pond water. The tad-poles, small snails and a large pond snail (which I have added) used to clear off the green algae but they do not seem to be interested in the diatoms. How should I remove them?
Gavin Doran, Ballyhide, Clogrennane, Carlow
Tadpoles grow at different rates depending on their success at getting food. The larger ones were likely to have been eating their brethren and were therefore further along in their development into froglets. I would suggest a sponge on the top of a stick to clean the inside of the bowl.
In mid-May, I was walking down Leinster Road, Rathmines in Dublin when I saw magpie dive-bombing another bird of about equal size, brown and cream in colour, which seemed to have a broken wing. I rescued it and made a nest for it in a dense hedge away from predators. When I looked it up in The Guide to the Birds of Ireland, it appeared to be a woodcock as it had a snipe-like beak and long legs with black claws also very long. Could that be possible in an urban situation?
Una O'Sullivan, Rathmines, Dublin 6
It sounds more like a whimbrel which unlike the woodcock has black legs and feet. It may have been wounded by a peregrine or by flying into cables while on its spring migration to Iceland and the magpie was probably only being opportunistic. If its wing was broken it is doubtful if it would escape predators.