Sir, – The picture on the front page of The Irish Times of November 10th, of someone eating lunch in Herbert Park while being mobbed by seagulls, raises a wider issue. In Merrion Square Park, the most common birds to be seen until quite recent years were the smaller varieties – blackbirds, robins, thrushes, wrens, chaffinches, hedge-sparrows, etc. Since the clear-out of much of the shrubbery and some trees (presumably nesting places for such birds), these varieties are to be seen only rarely. That's not to say that there are none at all left – occasionally, some can be heard, even if not seen. But the only species that are almost sure to be seen nowadays are pigeons, magpies, and, yes, seagulls. It seems a pity, and I wonder if it's the same in other urban parks? – Yours, etc,
JACKIE HILL,
Dublin 2.