Hands up if you've seen a kingfisher recently! 

Kingfishers can be seen along streams, rivers, canals and lakes - even in the middle of our biggest cities. They're perhaps our most colourful bird, but they can be tricky to spot...

If you've never seen a kingfisher, one thing you can do to improve your chances is to learn what they sound like.

Kingfishers like to call as they fly over the water - it's a…

Have you noticed more moths in your garden recently? We certainly have here at The Lodge.

Our wildlife experts are getting more requests for help to identify different moths, many of which are most commonly seen on summer nights.

Here's a short guide to some of the more common examples you may see flitting around your garden at this time of year.

Moths are often seen as drab compared to their more colourful lepidopteran…

I have a confession to make: I'm one of those people who used to think that moths were the poor, dull relations of butterflies. While I'd happily look at butterflies fluttering around my garden, I didn't give moths a second thought, apart from gently extracting them from the house when they flew in. 

But lately I've been asked to do a bit of writing about moths, and it's changed my mind. I've realised…

Have you sampled your first blackberry of the season yet? I tried some yesterday - they were a bit tart, but not far off perfection.

This harvest mouse, photographed by Guy Rogers, clearly can't resist temptation either!

Hedges on farmland are great places for creatures like harvest mice, and provide safe places to breed, feed and thrive for lots of other wildlife, too. Find out how we're helping farmers give…

Katie Prewett looks at all the wonderful wildlife that you may get a glimpse in the garden during the 2015 Big Wild Sleepout weekend.

It’s that time of year again when you swap the bedroom for a tent and your duvet for a sleeping bag; and with the temperatures set to rise this weekend, there’s no excuses.

Our Big Wild Sleepout event is back for the third year running and with promises of a warm weekend across…

I try my best to give nature a home but the other day, nature took things a bit too literally.

We have an ancient but very warm conservatory and on Friday, a massive dragonfly decided it would quite like to move in. 

My little girl found this very exciting, but once it was inside, the dragonfly didn't share her enthusiasm and flew around, desperately trying to get out. 

I could only get the briefest of glimpses…

We'd been searching all day when I spied a distinctive shape wheeling through the summer sky.

Grabbing a scope, the telltale image of one of Scotland's most iconic birds swiftly came into focus.

A white-tailed eagle, feathered fingers fluttering on the breeze, was eyeballing us from above.

I had been keen to see this incredible bird for years and finally, here it was, shooting the breeze off the coast of…

Last week I got my first ever peek at a natterjack toad. My manager and I were having a catchup while strolling round the grounds here at the Lodge when she spotted some natterjack toadlets in one of the ponds.

They were tiny little creatures, who presumably hadn't long been toadlets instead of tadpoles, but the distinctive yellow stripe down their backs was clear to see. We promptly put the business of the catchup…

Last week was great for butterfly lovers. The sunny weather brought many summer specialities out onto wing.

Daintily searching through southern Britain's meadows for nectar, marbled whites are one in particular people look out for in July.

I was lucky enough to see some myself this weekend. Admittedly none perched quite like the one in this image from Ernie Janes, but was still a good sight.

If the sun comes out…

Nature is special for many reasons.

Among them is the impact an unexpected sighting can have on an otherwise mundane day.

While commuting by train recently, I looked up and, through a murky window, spotted a hobby scything through the air alongside me.

It's aerodynamic profile and aristocratic bearing lifted my mood and provided a truly magic moment.

This stunning picture by David Tipling perfectly captures…

I spent a lovely week in Wales earlier this month, and got a tiny bit of obsessed with trying to get a good bee photo.

There were lots of bees around on the wonderful flowers near where we were staying, so I spent quite a lot of time with my camera set to macro, and also wishing I could tell the different species apart!

Bees drinking nectar and collecting pollen is such a natural (and important!) thing. When I watch…

This is one of my favourite times of year... the time when dragonflies and damselflies are emerging.

These colourful insects can be seen near streams, rivers and ponds almost anywhere - town or country. The bigger dragonflies can spend up to three years living underwater as a larva.

The four-spotted chaser dragonfly in this photo, by Guy Rogers, has just completed its metamorphosis and is resting on its empty 'shell…

We don't get many fish on Monday moment do we? But this is no ordinary fish!

I spent last week at our magical Minsmere nature reserve. Water voles plopped into the pond behind the cafe, bitterns boomed from the dense reedbeds and adders warmed up by basking in the Suffolk sunshine. But many of our visitors weren't here for these traditional Minsmere highlights - oh no! They were here for something quite different…

This weekend, while sat in the garden enjoying a short break in the fleeting sunshine, a familiar chattering filled the air.

Looking up, I spied a group of swallows, wings thrumming and twitching, balanced like tightrope walkers on a nearby telephone wire.

Despite the recent inclement weather, summer must finally be here.

This photograph, which features both swallows and house martins, was taken by RSPB photographer…

Last week, I spent some time up on Northern Ireland's Rathlin Island. Whilst sitting in the harbour, I heard some strange noises coming from the rather dapper-looking bird in this picture. An eider duck.

It doesn't do justice to describe it, so why not listen to it on our eider page?

This image is one of thousands on RSPB images. Take a browse through, and if you something you like, you can even buy it as…

If you go down to the woods today... you could see some bluebells. The first purple flowers are bursting open at The Lodge right now.

This photo was taken at our Gwenffrwd-Dinas nature reserve in Wales in May last year. Find out where else you could see bluebells soon.

Bluebells are renowned for their beauty, but I enjoy the bright spring shades of green just as much (maybe even a bit more - don't tell anyone!)…

One of the nicest things about working on a nature reserve is that it really comes to life during the school holidays, particularly from Easter onwards.

I love walking across the site here at The Lodge to go to a meeting or get a cup of tea, and hearing the delighted squeals of children enjoying nature and the fresh air.

At home I'm constantly amazed and encouraged by how fascinating my daughter finds nature, and it…

I hope you had a great Easter weekend with time to get outdoors and explore the natural world - hopefully with at least a little sunshine?

One of the highlights of my stroll yesterday was doing a spot of fish-watching. By peering into the clear waters of a stream, I saw something I hadn't seen before - a male three-spined stickleback defending his territory. His bright red belly and bluish sides looked like they'd…

It's not just us humans who appreciate our mums, as this gorgeous photo of a grey seal and her pup shows.

But we're the only species who have a special day to express our love, and with Mother's Day fast approaching, don't forget to send a card!

If you're spending some time with your mum this weekend, our reserves make great days out at this time of year, and some have cafes serving delicious food…

As Kevin mentioned last week, spring is just about here - or very close. Yesterday I saw my first blackthorn blossom of the year. It was a cold, windy day, but seeing a few buds bursting reminded me of what's to come. 

I've read some reports of long-tailed tits starting to build their nests. Blackthorn bushes are great places for them to raise a family, as the twigs have huge thorns (as the name suggests). The…

You could be forgiven for thinking that today as the weak winter sun beats down outside.

For our grey herons though, spring is here! Well, the breeding season anyway. 

They are one of our earliest breeding species, and you can often see them at this time of year adding to their huge nests. High up in tall trees, you might be lucky enough to see them in your local park. Keep an eye out for the punk rock hairstyle of the…

The answer is a brand new, witty t-shirt that you’ll look great in and raises money for nature.

British clothing company, Weird Fish recently launched a competition to come up with the best pun for an RSPB T-shirt. There were some great ideas from the competition, and these were whittled down to just three.

One of Weird Fish’s talented artists then worked up the pun into some artwork for the shirt, and asked fans…

With just one week left before the deadline for submitting results for the Big Garden Birdwatch (Monday 16 February) we thought we would share this lovely story about two people and their love of this annual nature watching event. Susan Andrews and her mother have been taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch for over 10 years. Over the last few years, Susan’s mother began to forget things, and was diagnosed with Alzheimer…

It's lekking time! These male black grouse are singing and dancing against each other to attract females they can mate with.

After the deed is done, that's the end of the male's role - the females are left to incubate the eggs and bring up the chicks on their own.

Want to see and hear them them for yourself? Book onto one of our Dates with Nature at Coed Llandegla in north Wales, starting next month and…

You've put out your food. The birds are there. Now, you'd like to photograph them.

Here's some tips from RSPB Wildlife Adviser Ben Andrew on how get some great photos and make the most of your birdwatch.

1. Perches – place natural and nice looking perches next to your bird feeder for the birds to land on before they land on your feeder so you can photograph them in a pleasing way. Make sure to choose a…