Red kites, great spotted woodpeckers and pink-footed geese are only a few of the birds doing brilliantly in the British Isles right now. Mark Cocker celebrates their success stories and looks at what might be learnt from them

One of the rich joys of birding is that there are birds everywhere, including gardens and parks. Just get out and walk around, there’s no need to be quiet or furtive. Become familiar with your feather

Hoarding is a common animal behaviour. Lots of creatures cache food for times of scarcity. You probably know that squirrels hide nuts and wood mice store seeds, but did you know that fire ants stockpi

AMELIA arrives home from her half-day at work. She has the week’s shopping and quickly squirrels everything away, leaving just her children’s magazines on the kitchen table. Seeing she only has three-

SVEN-ERIK ARNDT/ARTERRA/UNIVERSAL/GETTY ● There was a mallard duck ...

The new Turner Prize (this time, for craftspeople) ...