Nadia Shaikh seeks good company for a search-and-gorge to get her through the ruthless darkness of the winter months

THIS MONTH Barn owls

Jolly frock-coated robins, majestic geese and arboreal partridges make for both literal and symbolic centrepieces at Christmas, says Matthew Dennison, as he revels in the cultural history of the season’s feathered fowl and game

Absurd little birds across the world lay their eggs in the nests of other species, leaving the hapless parents to raise a changeling at the expense of their own offspring. The majority are cuckoos – o

Winter may well be the most overlooked season of them all when it comes to appreciating nature’s joys. While it’s easy to take pleasure in the budding blooms of spring, summer’s resplendent blossoms a

The beautiful, soft-voiced turtle dove may be synonymous with Christmas, but as a symbol of courtship and love this endearing bird resonates all year round and must be saved, urges Mark Cocker