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

THIS MONTH Barn owls

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

Wildlife gardening is hugely beneficial, both for biodiversity and for gardeners. By providing food, shelter and nest sites for a wide range of species, you get the opportunity to engage with the natu

What the scientists are saying… Falling puffin numbers ...

Whether winter-faded ferns, the spindly harvestman or the tyrannical stare of an irate chicken, through-lines from the prehistoric to our modern age are all around us in November, says John Lewis-Stempel