Wild february

Karen Youngs revels in the changing landscape and encounters a handsome game bird on a morning walk

Autumn is a wonderful time of year. Birds are on the move in their masses. It is exciting. And just about anything can turn up. Here are five birds which may look to be dressed in the dulled browns of autumn, but are all special, even thrilling to watch.

SEASONAL VARIATION

IMMORTALISED AS RATTY IN The Wind in the Willows, water voles are much loved mammals in Britain, though sadly at a low ebb due to decades of habitat loss, river pollution and predation by introduced A

Return migration is here in earnest – David Callahan explains what to look for in autumn…

Fungi and insects make for an exciting season, says James Lowen