The fast & the furious

30-minute birder Amanda Tuke sees the benefits of being distracted by birds at home, and on the coast

It might not look promising, but the bush has some incredible birds, writes Vanessa Wright

Just like a bee sting, apparently; hardly anything to worry about. Just painful enough to make you swear under your breath, and you might get a bit of a swollen finger. Sounds fine, but I’m still not

I HAVE written numerous pieces about mallard – this our most ubiquitous duck is a survivor. Mallard can be found almost everywhere, and I love them and never tire of watching them. They are underrated

Bringing you some of the gardening news highlights

Peek over the parapet of a bridge just as daylight bleeds into dusk, gazing down through the clear layers of a shallow river or chalk stream, and you may glimpse the shadowy, serpentine form of an eel