Irruption of the wax wings

DAVID LINDO THE URBAN BIRDER

From a heroic long-distance swimmer to a producer of spectacularly eerie sound effects, the seabirds seen swooping and diving over British waters have all manner of singular skills, says John Lewis-Stempel

Unhurried in flight and with a sideline in stolen goods, the handsome red kite is the gentleman thief of the raptor world

So wondrous to witness that we often simply imagine we have seen one, the golden eagle embodies the spirit of the Highlands, but is happily progressing south once again

With a ‘butterfly emergency’ in the UK, conservationists are gearing up for this year’s Big Butterfly Count. But what has happened to these insects? And can they – on a wing and a prayer – ever bounce back?

The rise and rise of raptor species has been a major success of the past half century, but it may well have been the downfall of the common kestrel