Condor.

Blue whale.

African elephant.

King cobra.

They could be the biggest or smallest, fastest or strongest of their respective habitats, or just something you’ve connected with on some level. But whatever they are I’m sure, like me, you still carry the same enthusiasm you had as a child for them. And, perhaps, still the longing to see them. They are, of course, your wildlife most wanted.

I feel I know…

I've got something a bit different for all you regular readers of Photo of the week this week...

Zooming in and capturing the colours and creatures of spring is top of the list for many photographers at the time of year. This stunning close of up an emergent micro moth (Acleris literana - lichen button) by Steve Benner, brings a lesser known and rarely seen sign of spring to the fore with clarity. It's a bit different…

I might have spoken too soon about the advent of spring - some of us (myself included) got a sizeable dump of fresh snow over the weekend! 

I am cautiously hopeful, however, that the tentative sunbeams breaking through this week will melt away the remaining patches and herald Spring’s comeback, so I can crack on with my gardening (boy, is there plenty of that to do!) and enjoy the emerging wildlife. 

One critter…

Earlier this week Mark wrote a blog post on his last minute adventure to RSPB Snettisham to see a female snowy owl that had come in with the Beast from the East (also enjoying a brief stay at RSPB Titchwell Marsh). And in all honesty I’m very jealous.

Owls are a favourite amongst many down to their friendly faces and interesting abilities - namely being able to turn their heads 270 degrees. Not to mention the generation…

Spring is in the air, and the great crested grebes know it. Our editor-in-chief, Mark, watched a couple of birds re-enacting ‘Splashy Come Dancing’ at the weekend. 

I’ve yet to spot any, but this is a great time to keep an eye out for the bizarre courtship ritual of grebes on our ponds, lakes and reservoirs. 

The springtime courtship displays of the great crested grebe are a must-see for March and April…

It’s dull and dreary here in Bedfordshire, but there’s no dampening my spirits, nor those of any bird lover who found themselves in North Norfolk over the weekend. Two RSPB reserves, Snettisham and Titchwell played host to a most magnificent Arctic visitor. In my opinion it is one of the best birds you can see: a snowy owl. And what a snowy owl it was – a first winter female, so big, buzzard-sized and decked…

My choice for our photo of the week is a photograph that captures the impact of the "Beast from the East" and the conditions that our wildlife-faced at a time of the year when they would normally expect to be enjoying milder temperatures as their thoughts turn to spring.

Nature's Home reader Peter Richards says: "I saw him at the side of the road in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, on the morning of Saturday…

Wow. Only a week ago my neigbourhood was thickly blanketed in white powder, and today the sun is out and spring is in the air. That ‘Beast from the East’ came and went, and all of a sudden there’s no trace of winter. 

The garden beckons - it knows that as soon as we’re done with the big freeze, it’s time to start sowing the seeds for a glorious summer, complete with fluttering butterflies.…

This week, I'm delighted to present a guest blog from top naturalist James Harding-Morris. Now the big thaw has brought the UK firmly back into spring, what better time to celebrate the fantastic Back from the Brink project and one of the fascinating creatures it aims to help. Over to James for the full story of a night time adventure in search of one of our rarest species of beetle.

Avid readers of Nature’s Hom…

With weather ‘colder than the arctic’, our feathered friends have been foraging on feeders in gardens across the UK. What’s more appropriate for this week’s photo than the garden rarity of a fieldfare duo. These speckled chaps usually prefer the open countryside with hedgerow and woodland borders but, due to such harsh winter weather, have been found wanting so are heading for the feeders, or in…

It may not feel like it as the "Beast from the East" howls over the UK this week, but we're fast approaching the beginning of Spring. Daffodils are emerging, snowdrops have bloomed and soon the familiar call of the season, the dawn chorus, will begin.

As breeding season approaches, song birds take the opportunity at the coldest part of the day – when it's too dark to go out searching for food – to flex…

March means one very exciting thing in the world of wildlife – spring has arrived! To celebrate this most marvellous month of the year, here’s my whistle-stop tour of the best March sights and sounds - and the RSPB reserves where you can see them. I hope it will whet your appetite!

Welcoming in the big five
March marks the start of spring migration, the arrival of some top travelers and the completion of some…

Yesterday, Anna posted about those nature spectacles that sit on our bucket lists waiting for the big tick. Thanks to inspiration from her blog post and Simon Barnes’ column in the latest Nature’s Home, I started thinking about how often I sit here at HQ and say “that would be amazing to see”.

There is one bird that seems to be mentioned repetitively through those words. The puffin. A pint-sized beauty…

In the current issue of Nature’s Home (page 49), our regular columnist Simon Barnes urges us to make some ‘nature resolutions’ for 2018, to get out there and see the wildlife, or natural spectacles, that we’ve always wanted to see. 

Simon gives us advice on seeing three of the UK’s most-wanted birds (gannet, avocet and puffin), pointing out that it’s easy enough if you’re prepared to travel…

A low white sun, and an icy-blue sky. It’s early-morning, and I flipped the calendar to March just yesterday. I’m walking a bridleway that butts up against a field in rural Suffolk. The stubby green crop opens up like a greased centre parting to my right, and my eyes lock with a familiar character. Against the dry dirt, two orange marbles float in mid-air. Moments later, a white flash hurtles away from me and I breathe…

I often take the 40 minute walk to the shop at the weekend if I haven't got much else planned for that day. The walk starts at the Cambridgeshire Wildlife Trust reserve Byron's Pool, and then cuts across some scrubby grassland. It's not the world's most exciting walk, but not bad for a supermarket run and I'll often see a hare or two. Last weekend as I took to the edge of the grassy scrub, I was treated to my first …

Those of us who took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch will have submitted our results by now (quick, do so here if you haven’t yet!)

But alongside the Big Garden Birdwatch, education establishments up and down the country have been counting the birds from their playgrounds and sports pitches, for the Big Schools Birdwatch. Here’s how it’s done.

https://youtu.be/sLzR0LjL_gY

If you’re a teacher…

“How should I express myself to the person I most admire this Valentine’s Day?”

The lucky among us will be considering just that in the run up to the day of lerrrve. For Nigel the gannet it was obvious: “Break out my best moves.”

I hear ya Nige!

He expressed himself in the only way he knew how, and persistently courted another gannet. Unfortunately, his love interest had a heart of stone…

My choice for the Nature's Home photo of the week is reader Patrick Ball's brilliant capture of a right-angled long-tailed tit coming in to land and join its fellow flock members on a post . I love the way the other two seem to be watching it in admiration - and wondering whether to get out of the way! Patrick has done a great job not in just photographing the top bird in a really unusual pose, he has also managed…

Next Wednesday is the day we pull out all the stops to show the people we love how much we love them. But we love nature, too, so – as you’ll see on page 40 of our current issue – the RSPB is also asking you to Show the Love for your favourite wild places, species and activities. 

Remember your love for nature this Valentine's Day. (Photo: Ben Andrew)

Much of what we love is at risk…

How has the weather been for you this winter? I’d describe it as wet, windy and mild here in south-east England – none of which are great for the arrival of many of my favourite winter birds. For good numbers of wild geese and the scarcer ducks to arrive from the continent, we need a nice cold north-east or easterly airflow, combined with freezing conditions to the north and east of the UK. The dominant flow…

Giving nature a home… and all the food it could ever eat. I couldn’t help a smile and little chuckle when I saw this image – thanks for sending it in, Ian! (photo courtesy of Nature's Home reader Ian Cornish)

How this wood mouse got into this feeder is anyone’s guess *wink wink*, but I’m sure it had one of the best views for a Big Garden Birdwatch imaginable. It’s likely feeling quite…

Things have become a bit competitive at the Nature’s Home desk this week.

Last weekend, we did the Big Garden Birdwatch with our respective households. Two of us (Aisling and Anna) did it in our gardens, and Emma P, who is basically garden-less, reported from a local park instead, which yielded plenty of water-loving birds, including gulls, waterfowl and a heron, bringing her total up to 13 species.

Emma snapped…

Valentine’s Day is almost here and even if you’re not feeling the love, nature definitely is. Here’s my guide to seven of the best sights and sounds of early spring brought to you by a star-studded cast of attention seekers from the world of wildlife. These extroverts will do whatever it takes to stand out from the crowd and find a mate - and the ideal home…  

 
Ravens are not just any old crow…

Our Nature's Home magazine photo of the week is chosen by Emma Lacy. Emma looks after Fellows' News and Impact - our newsletters for  our brilliant Life Fellows and Regular Givers.

It’s that time of the year again, Big Garden Birdwatch is upon us! Shortly, we’ll be gathering at our windows, looking onto our garden bird feeders, and counting the wildlife we’re helping to give a home to. I myself was astonished…