With it's hairy legs, pincer like jaws and bulbous eyes you could be forgiven for thinking the 'beautiful demoiselle' (a kind of damselfly) is poorly named.

But it if you catch a glimpse of them or the banded demoiselle in flight you can appreciate why their genus name Calopteryx is derived from the Greek kalos meaning beautiful and ptery meaning winged.

Their large dark wings hovering over our woodland…

Minsmere is special.

And this year BBC Springwatch has been broadcasting the trials and tribulations of this wildlife-rich slice of Suffolk Coast to the nation.

It’s extra special for me though.

I’m a Suffolk boy born and bred and have been visiting Minsmere since before I can remember. I love the place, every hide and every pathway holds special memories from my childhood, it’s where I first got hooked on nature…

Have you ever seen a green butterfly? This gorgeous pair are green hairstreaks and I wonder if I might see some if we get a bit of sun on Wednesday... We're visiting Minsmere on the Suffolk coast, home to BBC Springwatch!

You can find this photo by Sue Kennedy, and thousands of others, on RSPB Images.

It's back!

BBC Springwatch returns to our TV screens tonight, and this time it's live from our wildlife-rich Minsmere nature reserve. This sliver of sandy heathland, shady woodland and reedy wetland sits alongside on the Suffolk coast. 

The wetlands, flooded during World War Two as protection against invasion, are home to some iconic species. Avocets, marsh harriers and bitterns all live here. Bitterns are the…

Happy Monday!

For no other reason than I saw some house martins hanging around my road this weekend, and I think this picture is awesome, I thought I'd pick it as today's Monday moment. 

This image by Peter Cairns shows off a pair of rather dapper house martins. I always think it's almost like they're dressed up in dinner suits ready for a party. And in this image you can see their feathery legs and feet perfectly…

This nightjar has broken its usual camouflage to bravely protect its nest from an approaching adder; our only venomous snake.

It's making itself look as big as possible, and that massive mouth might just be enough to give the snake pause for thought.

If you're very lucky, and near some heathland, you might hear one of these 'churring' through the night while on your Big Wild Sleepout (coming up in June…

Have you seen your first damselfly of the year yet? I saw my first, a large red damselfly, at The Lodge last week, on the warm, south-facing heath. If you get a spell of warm weather near you, head to a pond or lake and see if you can spot any.

This beautiful photo was captured by Nick Upton and is part of our RSPB Images picture library.

Happy Monday everybody!

Here's a picture of a kittiwake enjoying itself - I hope it brings as big a smile to your face as it does to mine!

Taken by Andrew Parkinson, it shows a kittiwake having a very over-exuberant wash! Normally you see images of these dainty gulls gracefully patrolling cliff faces, or surveying the sea below, but this one shows a different side!

It's one of thousands of photos on RSPB…

I saw a bear at the weekend, it was great.

Granted it was at Whipsnade zoo and I was safely on the right side of the fence but given that the brown bear (Ursos arctos), as this was, used to live in England what I liked most about seeing this animal, was that the woodland habitat in its enclosure was probably not too dissimilar to its natural setting.

The same couldn't be said for the lions and tigers, but bears... yes…

Sparrows. Everywhere, aren't they?

They've come out on top in the Big Garden Birdwatch results again, and the ones in my new garden appear to be doing their best to keep their species top of the charts!

I've just moved house and one of the first things I've done is give it a little clean and freshen up. The sparrows that frequent the garden, feeders and surrounding areas are doing the same.

I've watched…

They're back! Wheatears are starting to arrive back from their winter quarters in Africa. This fabulous photo was taken by Nigel Blake at a regular stop-off point for migrating wheatears in Hertfordshire, and comes from our RSPB Images library.

Though wheatears mostly breed in upland areas in the UK, they can turn up on almost any open land during their migration (even football pitches and playing fields).

Wheatears…

How surreal is this little guy! Suspended in clear water, this tiny toadlet measures barely a centimeter in length, but already it has that characteristic face which reveals its identity as the common toad.   

This choice was inspired by the sight of an adult toad languidly swimming across open water in Fen Drayton this weekend (living dangerously with so many wading birds around). I realised that it's around this time…

And have you seen any butterflies yet?

It was a glorious spring day in Bedfordshire yesterday. The sun was shining, blue, great and coal tits were singing away and smelt the first barbecues of the year! I even played cricket. But it was the butterflies that were most in evidence.

After hibernating all winter, the sun has woken up our peacocks, small tortoiseshells and brimstones. As I walked round the edge of the John…

The reserve at the end of my road reported the exciting news of an otter sighting recently.

An undeniably charismatic species, I confess without shame to have tried (in vain) to find it in my local water bodies.

This image captures what I imagine that moment would look like: a magical scene peppered with snowdrops, when me and the otter share a meaningful look into one another's eyes.

But in reality it'll probably…

How was your weekend?

Mine was pretty good. Made all the all the better for a small, brown, dumpy heron. Doesn't sound that great, does it? But when that heron is a bittern, you'll forgive me for getting a little excited, won't you?

Back in 1997 there were just 11 males counted in the whole UK. 11 in the whole UK!

Thanks to a sterling conservation effort they're back from the brink. The one I saw yesterday…

It's February and while spring is still off on the horizon, the darkest days are behind us.

One of my favorite sights during this month (that goes on till April) is the emergence and mating display of the smooth newt.

It takes a bit of effort to see this phenomenon and you need to know the right location, but find a pond with these amphibians in, go there at night with a powerful torch and you can observe the…

Tradition.

For me, some things in life are sacrosanct – turkey at Christmas, a barbeque on cup final day and bacon sarnies over the Big Garden Birdwatch weekend.

I’ll sit down on Sunday with my bacon sarnies and stare out of a window for just one hour counting the birds. It’s long been my tradition – for me Big Garden Birdwatch without bacon sarnies just isn’t complete!

What does the Big…

Winter has struggled to turn up so far but today, as an icy fog hangs over the fields, it fells like it's finally arrived.

While lots of mammals take the sensible strategy of hibernating through these cold months, there's no rest for most of us including this industrious kingfisher.   

I hope there's no ice between this chap and his fish!

Mike Lane caught this one in the Midlands. See more from him…

How can I follow Lucinda's bumper selection of moments from last week? Toughie, isn't it?

I've plumped for a slightly different view of a familiar bird - a black-headed gull. In winter, all that's left of the black head is two little smudges on either side of the head. Looks a bit like they're wearing earphones, doesn't it?

This image is one of thousands from RSPB Images - our online photo library…

A new year often brings with it new beginnings.

And this is a particularly pertinent statement for me as I say goodbye to The RSPB after 10 wonderful years here.

It therefore being my last 'Magic Moment' I couldn't possibly find just one shot amongst all the brilliant photos on RSPB Images (I definitely recommend having a browse around their wonderful selection of images), so I thought I'd cheat and give…

Robins are everywhere at this time of year. But here are five facts you didn't know about this most familiar of garden birds:

• Despite their appealing looks and cute demeanour, robins are feisty birds which often fight between themselves and are aggressive to other birds, particularly around food.
• Both male and female robins are territorial in winter, and both can sing to repel would-be invaders.
• Though people…

It hardly feels like we're only a matter of days away from Christmas - it's been so mild. To get you in the spirit, admire Dean Bricknell's photo of a gorgeous snowy owl. It's from RSPB Images, where you can find thousands of other lovely images.

These birds are very rare visitors to the UK, though they have bred occasionally. But over in Canada and the USA, wildlife watchers are enjoying a huge 'invasion…

Starlings.

Noisy and sociable they're a common sight in our gardens. And what with the huge flocks seen in some parts at this time of year, you'd be forgiven for thinking that starlings are doing rather well.

This however masks the truth that the UK population has halved since 1995. Released today, the annual 'State of the UK's Birds' reveals the fortunes of our birds, both in the UK and its overseas…

Waking up to the drab grey of fog doesn't immediately fill you with enthusiasm for the coming day, but this shot of a black-headed gull silhouetted against the sun shows how beautiful even this weather can be!

With a week that promises more cold and fog perhaps this will inspire the budding photographers among you to go out in search of other stunning photo ops. 

Or you can look through some more of ours!

This…

Happy Monday!

When thinking up today's Monday Moment, I discounted foxes, kangaroos and kiwis on account of various dismal sporting results over the weekend. So, if like me you need a little pick me up, how about a picture of a cheeky weasel poking his head up through some autumnal leaves?

UK weasels are the smallest of the weasel (or mustelid) family - it also includes badgers, stoats and otters. Don't be confused…