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

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

Think you know hen weekends? Think again. Kat Shovlin’s hen hotels are redefining luxury mini-breaks for Britain’s most pampered chickens

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-

Pictures of the week We pay £20 A ...

Adrian Thomas outlines the simplest and most effective ways to help accommodate these important guests