House martin

The sight of these sensational aerodynamic birds in flight brings much joy. Here’s how to help these summertime visitors

DOMINIC COUZENS ON THE...

Structured, social and remarkably sophisticated, a bustling woodland ant community is home to engineers, farmers, nurses and warriors

The marsh harrier, with its effortlessly slow and floating signature manoeuvre, is so enjoying its UK comeback that it now stays with us all year round

Now the crowds have gone, Karen Youngs heads to the beach to enjoy the antics of some recent arrivals

The pine marten may have a taste for jam sandwiches, but its razor-sharp claws and appetite for eggs and grey squirrels makes it a predatory force to be reckoned with, says Patrick Galbraith