Country diary: The house martins are gone for another year. But they’re not forgotten | Ed Douglas
Lockerbrook, Derbyshire: Last week they were here, now they are not. Yet the details of their epic migration are still a mystery to usThe sudden absence of something, even though you know it’s coming, can dent the heart a little. The Japanese,…
Tents, night-vision goggles, bear tracking kits – and even books: America’s first nature library opens
As well as books, the new facility in Colorado offers hundreds of kits to connect people with the natural world. We asked five of the first visitors what they thought of itMark Fink knows exactly why he opened the first public nature library in the US.…
Rare northern bald ibises take flight in human-led European migration project
Micro aircraft used to help guide birds to Spanish stopover as part of efforts to create sustaining migratory populationFifteen new birds have joined a growing flock of bald ibises in northern Spain, guided there by human migration guides in micro…
Tern turnaround: colonies in England show signs of recovery after decline
National Trust says latest figures encouraging – with numbers of birds on the rise – but work still to be doneEngland’s most important tern colonies are showing signs of recovery after being hit by years of bird flu, flooding and increasingly…
Is tech the secret to a more analogue life? How gadgets, apps and tips could actually reduce your screen time
It’s often thought of as the problem, but what if the right technology could help us switch off and live more in the moment?• The best screen-free activitiesWith the continued backlash against AI and growing concern about our reliance on screens, an…
Country diary: I’m virtually living in the woods now. Wildlife is everywhere | Kate Bradbury
Lewes, East Sussex: Owls, bats, badgers and countless birds are my new neighbours, but I’ve been particularly taken by a mystery tree – and its resident treecreeperI have made the woods my home, moving from Brighton to the outskirts of Lewes, where the…
‘Birdwatching is close to rapture’: Margaret Atwood on why she has given C$1m to avian research
Award-winning novelist celebrates late partner’s love of birds with gift to establish the Graeme Gibson chair in avian biologyIf she could be any bird, Margaret Atwood would transform into a raven. “They’re very smart. They’re social, playful and just a…