MAGPIE: a neighbour's pet killed by a spot of DIY wizardry
HIGHLY visible in his black and white plumage, the magpie sparks terror in the hedgerow among vulnerable nesting birds. Equipped with a...
STARLING: a lucky escape from depths of my kitchen wall
STARLINGS have always struck me as the bird-table equivalent of human muggers - brash, noisy, bullying, and usually descending in a gang....
MOLE: preposterous mammal that inspired a morbid poet
ONLY someone with their head in the sand could have missed Britain's wild celebrations of the eclipse - which is probably what got me...
SWAN: sad story of beauty and the beasts
BEAUTIFUL and majestic, swans have the power to charm us like few other birds as they glide elegantly by in the water. A group of swans...
PHEASANT: sad tale of a former hunter
PLUMP, handsome and good to eat, the pheasant has become a stalwart of the British countryside - quite an achievement for a bird whose...
SWALLOW: snatching insects inches away from a jagged roof
QUICKER and sleeker than the vast majority of birds, swallows are a harder target than most for any hungry hawk to try to bring down....