I rescued this little fellow from my cat. What kind of mouse is it? – Margaret Mason, Finglas, Dublin 11
It's the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus, which lives in fields, woodland and gardens. Wood mice are darker than house mice and whitish underneath with a yellow/brown spot on the throat.
![A common toad, seen in Stepaside, co Dublin](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/VCQO2JSCPIDS4YLC5PJ222Y5KY.jpg?auth=d346af2c825c8b6f7470f6a5f1e4fbe6fc0e6d472fe4f75c3619ef2376004651&width=800&height=449)
We found this creature near Stepaside, Co Dublin beside a granite wall. Is it a toad? – Therese Mooney, Nenagh, Co Tipperary
There have been sightings of common toads, a non-native species, in the Dublin area, and a campaign has been launched to gather information on their location.
![A pale hoverfly](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/OIVABH3AUTIROXMXOMDJH7ANBE.jpg?auth=201c89163ee8e46591b4e61d10ff8016e3f443cda04f9d4397608dc2d57e6320&width=800&height=834)
I saw this insect on a hebe bush in my garden. It looks more like a fly than a bee. – Mary Fitzgerald, Terenure, Dublin 6W
You're right, it's the pellucid or pale hoverfly, a good pollinator.
![A flower spider, seen in Sandymount, Dublin 4](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/NW4UW3BBNL5GQP5YKQ7HC7U2G4.jpg?auth=fdd777b4380dc45c44c3d8238ae8b9b3774c3f4183290fa12fb101c812c2cd80&width=800&height=825)
Could you identify this spider and what it eats? It has been on this thistle for at least a week, fighting off bees, but I haven't seen it eat anything. – Mark Rooney, Sandymount, Dublin 4
It's the flower spider, which lurks in flowers waiting to pounce on visiting insects.
![A mink and her three cubs emerge from a stone wall](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/55SACLS4TVB5UN4TAPDZ4F7SDA.jpg?auth=72c63f177812fcb5db0a7008095a499019f56d4b416c94f334a120ac5333dfcf&width=800&height=449)
This photograph was taken by my brother on Inishnee, Roundstone, Co Galway. A mink and her three cubs emerged from a stone wall about three yards from the door of the holiday house, and made their way into a nearby field. – Malachy Daly, Louisburgh, Co Mayo
![A family of shelduck](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/FWMHNGMRVD2SKLLPJTDRYDGK4E.jpg?auth=caae90c1d41c2189c99932701ea0f1360156707eb92eb5402b8b2b84c7ea988a&width=800&height=353)
This family of shelduck were new arrivals on the estuary at the end of June. – Emer O'Shea, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal
![A buzzard chick](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/OO5BWJ2XG35HE6VXRTPYBKZ2MA.jpg?auth=3d902dd73209e6b6508bec6fd86c44f4a3674e19c6b57d50876d69cce45952a5&width=800&height=653)
Buzzards have nested again on my land, this time in a tree outside my bedroom window. The chick has hatched and is doing well. – Clive Symmons, Macetown, Co Meath
Ethna Viney welcomes observations and photographs at Thallabawn, Louisburgh, Co Mayo, F28 F978, or by email at viney@anu.ie. Include a postal address.