Michael Viney responds to queries and observations on nature
On Tramore Beach west of Dunfanaghy in Donegal we came across the decomposed remains of a sea turtle. It was about 6 ft long and 3 to 4 ft wide, and covered in a leathery hide. We thought it was a leatherback. Is this an unusual sighting so far north?
Montgomery family, Churchill, Co Donegal
Leatherback turtles follow the shoals of jellyfish north in July and August and return south in September and October.
Walking in Donegal, I was patrolled by a robin-like bird with a faded orange breast. Was this a seasonal fading?
Paddy Murphy, Belfast
It was a young robin which has not yet got its full red breast.
We heard the corncrake on 30th July in Ballyarrnett, Derry near the spot where Amelia Earhart landed in 1932.
Angela McCarron, Derry
On the North Bull Island I saw what I could only conclude was an albino oystercatcher. It had a black patch on its wing, and an orange beak, but otherwise was completely white.
Eoin Garrett, Dublin 16
