A cough. A splutter. A jet of flame for good measure and the Merlin is prised from its slumbers and into rambunctious life. Many of you, perhaps even most, will have heard one of these engines, at Goo

On my outstretched arm, Papillon fluffed up his ...

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

A combination of spellbinding sport and profound empathetic connection, falconry–a partnership in which the bird maintains the upper hand–offers a window into ‘the deeper magic’, discovers Mary Skipwith

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

● A couple of miles inland from the ...