• Everything you need to know about Arctic terns

    What is and isn’t an Arctic tern?

    Grouped in the gulls and terns bird family (Laridae), Arctic terns are one of several species of tern that visit the UK in summer to breed. Though largely seen on the coast, occasionally you might see an Arctic tern inland migrating in spring or autumn. Common terns are, as the name suggests, more readily seen in summer across the UK. I still struggle to quickly tell apart many…

  • Photo of the week: Serene seal

    Up there in my favourite animals is the seal (not far behind the flamingo and the elephant) making me smile every time I see one. There expressive faces bring me an exceptional amount of joy. In fact, it was on Sunday just gone that I took myself to Horsey Beach in Norfolk to see the common seals they have there. Just as I got close enough the rain hit. We spent a couple of minutes watching these wonderful creatures before…

  • Inside your summer issue

    By now, members should have received your Summer issue of Nature’s Home magazine – aptly heralded by last weekend’s glorious blaze of sunshine (which I hope you all enjoyed – I did, but got burnt shoulders while re-landscaping my garden). 

    I shared a sneak peek of the issue a few weeks back, and as you can see from the cover, we’re highlighting the plight of the UK’s puffins with a story on how the people…

  • What's in my garden: Pollinator power

    Here we go, some lovely warm weather. Just what we’ve all been waiting for. As we well know it’s not just us that’ve been teased over the past few weeks. Our minibeast friends have been on the hunt for some sun too. And being a beekeeper I’m always on the lookout for the hum of pollinators whenever the sun hits.

    On those sunny days few and far between, I have revelled in a bit of gardening alongside…

  • Photo of the week: vole goals

    I'm a bit jealous of this little bank vole. It's found a great place to call home. Lush greenery in the safety of a nature lover and RSPB member's garden - what could be better than that? This shot had to get photo of the week this week, despite all the other superb images readers of Nature's Home have been sending in after the latest issue began mailing last week. There's so many to choose from, but as…

  • Make the most of your membership on Mayday

    Dig out your RSPB membership card - the sun’s out (sometimes) and it’s time to get out there under the treetops or along the waterways and enjoy the busiest time of year. 

    Embrace nature on the bank holiday weekend – absolutely free! (Photo: Eleanor Bentall, rspb-images.com)

    Your RSPB membership not only entitles you to 100 glorious pages of Nature’s Home magazine (full of seasonal sights…

  • You'll never guess what's inside my box

    Have you got a collection? I imagine many of you do, and it could be anything from something traditional like stamps, to unusual like handheld vacuums as a friend at primary school used to collect. Interesting chap…

    But what got me thinking about collections is a tiny paragraph in the most recent Nature’s Home magazine, tucked away in the newly refreshed Wild About section. I don’t really collect anything…

  • Photo of the week: Loving slime ain't no crime

    Slime mould, what do we know about it? Personally, not much so when I spotted this weeks photo of the week I wanted to delve a little bit deeper into the kingdom Protista of which metatrichia floriformis (pictured below) belongs. So here are three facts about slime mould to get your brains wurring ahead of the weekend:

    1. Worldwide there are over 900 species of slime moulds. The one below is metatrichia floriformis found…
  • 5 wildlife holidays with the RSPB

    Did you know that as well as amazing wildlife watching opportunities our reserves also offer a wealth of great events, and even partnership holidays? You don’t have to go abroad to enjoy a spectacular wildlife holiday, with the UK offering everything from basking sharks off the Scottish coast to adders nestled in the heart of the New Forest. And it’s those one-in-a-lifetime moments that will stay with you.…

  • Wonderful wildlife at the RSPB weekend

    It’s been great spending time with RSPB members at The RSPB Weekend held at the University of Nottingham over the last three days. With it being the magic month of April with lots of bird activity and incoming migrants, it was also pretty good for bird sightings and many people went home with some nice species marked in their notebooks - me included.

    Those who joined me and my fellow guides on the early morning…

  • Photo of the week: Spring's young

    Dare I say it, spring may finally have sprung. Well at least here at RSPB HQ it has. Rain has poured this week but yesterday saw a superbly sunny day. Newts were swimming, brimstone butterflies were fluttering and we all got a strong dose of vitamin D.

    Spring is a beautiful time of the year, the sound of bird song and the essence of new life. Arguably, none cuter than that of a baby duck. I mean who doesn’t love baby…

  • Springtime in the woods

    It suddenly looks like spring has finally arrived, and as we move into April - the last month covered by the Spring issue of Nature’s Home's "Wild About" section, in which you’ll find ways to enjoy this month’s wildlife on page 22 - I'm celebrating an opportunity to make the most of the sunshine and get outdoors and into nature... at last!

    We made the most of today’s glorious sunshine…

  • Diversity from decay - why deadwood is great!

    I'm delighted to present a guest blog from RSPB Reserves Ecologist Kelly Thomas who reveals the importance to wildlife of our often-neglected dead wood. As the leaves start to come out on the trees, spare a thought for this vital habitat and maybe have a think about what you can do to leave more of it on your patch. Here's Kelly.

    What do you imagine when someone mentions dead wood? Perhaps a tree that has declined…