A swarm of bees settled on a branch of a beech tree about 20 feet off the ground, in our garden.
It was windy and the branch was swaying considerably, but they remained.
Ciaran O’Reilly, Belfast
Some beekeeper has lost this swarm from a hive. By now it has probably moved on to find a permanent home, in a sheltered place, a shed or roof space.
Recently we saw a group of five to six birds in the Lough Rynne estate, Co Leitrim. They were black on top with a white collar and a wider white band on the rump, very white breast, wings white underneath, blackening for last six inches, wingspan approximately 1m. They had a distinctive, high-pitched mewing call and flew in long, shallow swoops no higher than a two-storey house. The habitat was rough, low-lying fields adjacent to lakes and a river.
Brian Hazel McConnell, Sandymount, Dublin, 4
Your birds sound like lapwings.
I spotted what I believe was a male and female eider duck along the canal near Northumberland Road.
Robert Kiersey, Greystones, Co Wicklow
It was more likely to be a mallard drake that was the result of cross breeding with another duck, which happens frequently.
Michael Viney welcomes observations at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo. E-mail : viney@anu.ie. Include a postal address.
