Id challenge

Summer has arrived, so here’s how to get the most of July’s birding, writes David Callahan

July sees non-stop wildlife action, says James Lowen

With returning swifts screaming across the rooftop and golden buttercup pollen gilding his Wellingtons as he strides across the cow meadow, John Lewis-Stempel marvels at the many pleasures of May

We are now into the second half of the year. It may not seem it, but these summer days are getting slightly shorter. Baby birds have reached, or are getting, to full size, and some Arctic breeding birds will already be flying south. Here are five July classics to enjoy...

I t’s the summer solstice, and the mountains ...

June spans the turning of the year from spring into true summer. At the start, some birds are still heading north to breed, but by the end, failed breeders are returning. Here are five great birds to find this month.