I observed footprints, roughly 8cm in length, in low-tide sand across from Ards Forest Park. There have been previous otter sightings in the vicinity. This is from John Gillespie in County Donegal. The dimensions and design of the footprints suggest that they are likely the result of an otter’s hind feet. Otters belong to the mustelid family, which also consists of pine martens, badgers, stoats and minks. Unlike the four toes seen in dogs and foxes, mustelid footprints feature five.
Out in Beenbawn Head, I witnessed a beetle-like creature attacking a slug. It has a single spot on its back. I was unable to identify it using Google. This comes from James Farrell in County Kerry. While Google is a useful tool, it doesn’t hold all the answers. This is a ground beetle (Cychrus caraboides) known for preying on snails and slugs. Due to its dietary habits, its mouth parts have evolved to penetrate snail shells, yet it also consumes slugs. It’s a typically forest-based creature but can also be seen in upland heather moors. It is widespread and commonly found. The spot might be a mite or a growth on its back.
Edmund Ball submitted the next sighting, a likely common butterfly, photographed at Sandycove. The photo captures the beauty of a painted lady butterfly, enjoying nectar from a verbena. Similar to the red admiral, the painted lady migrates to this region annually, typically in midsummer from southern Europe. Subsequently, this butterfly reproduces, laying eggs on multiple host plants including creeping thistle, nettle and mallow. Its caterpillars feast on the plant foliage before transforming into pupa, from which adults can emerge which live for roughly a month. This fresh-looking specimen is indeed a native of Dublin. Some of the adults from this generation migrate southwards again when autumn arrives, completing this journey at high altitudes, away from the eyes of ground-level butterfly watchers, a fact highlighted by radar records.
Lastly, a kestrel sighting was reported by Niall MacNeill from Rogerstown Park in north County Dublin. He inquires if it’s a male or female.
The bird being referred to here is a female with a head adorned in brown streaks and dark brown bands gracing her tail in contrast to the male’s bluish-grey head, rump, and tail. This bird is known in Ireland as Pocaire gaoithe, a name that depicts its unique feeding technique, hovering in the sky until it pinpoints a murine victim to plummet down upon. The bird locates its prey by the ultraviolet light that is reflected off the urine trails of scurrying mice, something the bird’s keen sense of sight allows it to detect. Once a common sight, kestrels are currently red-listed in the 2020-2026 Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland report due to dramatic reductions in breeding populations, attributable to prey scarcity, agricultural intensification, and secondary rodenticide poisoning.
I came across a rather sizeable caterpillar inching its way across the road by our property. It appeared unusually large. Paul Maguire, Co Mayo.
What you encountered was not just a caterpillar but a specimen of substantial size, reaching lengths of up to 90mm when fully extended. This is an elephant hawkmoth caterpillar, distinguishable by its trunk-like snout situated ahead of the segment bearing eye-spots. However, when feeling threatened such as while being photographed, this caterpillar can cleverly retract its snout, inflate, and present itself as a small snake to deter predators. It was likely on a pilgrimage to find a suitable spot to enter chrysalis stage. The adult form is a bronzy green moth adorned with pink stripes.