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

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

THIS MONTH Barn owls

Often painted as a thief and a troublemaker, the magpie’s high intelligence and shimmering beauty are shadowed by misunderstanding and ancient fears

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