1898 puffed up

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

Wildlife photography isn’t all about attention-grabbing species, writes Rob Read

Just imagine catching giant halibut from crystal-clear Scandinavian seas – it’s a jaw-dropping experience, so no wonder I was excited!

Threatened with extinction in the 1960s, the mighty peregrine–with its astonishing speed and super strength–has staged such a remarkable comeback that its now more successful than it was in the Middle Ages

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

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