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A friend of mine is being kept awake at night by a 'bird'. It starts singing at about 4.30am and continues until he gets up. My friend is quite vexed by this bird and would rather it didn't exist. He doesn't know its identity, but it's likely

In 1985, Chris Baines created the first ever wildlife garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. Apparently it caused quite a stir - wildflowers in those days were often dismissed as 'weeds' - and his medal was mistakenly inscribed "Chris Baines, for a

stems are perfect for the bee hotel. Easy to gather and cut, they are available in a range of diameters, including 3-5mm, as preferred by the bees.Attracting insects and wildlife to your gardenPlants for beesWildlife-friendly plantsMaking a stag beetle

. Such is the downward-looking microcosm-centred world of the entomologist. So for me to notice our avian friends they have to be really really abundant and noisy and obvious.Well, this week they have been particularly keen to draw attention to themselves. It started

The doorbell went on Sunday afternoon and on the doorstep was a friend wearing some unusual ornamentation on his jumper - a living broach. He and his family had been walking down the road, when they discovered a huge dragonfly struggling

I think it’s going to be a good year for stag beetles in East Dulwich. On May 16th there were three flying around in the evening, two males and a female. Then on the 29th I found the chap, pictured left, buzzing about as I was bringing

is there for a gardener than the reward of having wildlife use the habitat created for them? Two pairs of blackbirds regularly dart about my lawn feeding, chasing and protecting their territory. I'm not sure where their boundaries lie or whether they're happy

woodpeckers, witnessed blackbirds and robins fighting over territory, and sat a little too close to a wasps' nest.It's generally a very good habitat for wildlife: there's a mass of ivy to provide food and shelter for all manner of creatures, and something

at first look unappealing and unattractive, they are nevertheless home to 12–14 per cent of all our red data book and nationally scarce insect species; that’s more than you find in ancient woodlands or on chalk downs.The reason they are so important

Paris, for an old school friend's birthday party. I've got a couple of hours on Sunday morning before the Eurostar home, so where better than a park to sit and watch the sights? I'm on the east side of the city, between the Bastille and Nation so it