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Webcam set up to monitor egg-bearing nest atop oak tree guarded by dozens of volunteers in Usk valley
At 9.15am the male bird took off and soared towards the reservoir in search of a meal. Sixty minutes later he was back, and over the next hour or so he and his mate took turns sharing the fish he had caught and sitting on their three eggs.
The appearance of these two ospreys on farmland in the Usk valley in mid-Wales is seen as a milestone in the recovery of the species.
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This week the presenter turns 99. To celebrate, we asked 99 nature lovers – including Margaret Atwood, Jane Fonda, Bono, Kate Winslet and Michael Palin – how he has helped us see the world with fresh eyes
Presenter, nature activist
It’s all about truth. Ask yourself, “Has David ever knowingly lied to me?” No, never. He may have told us things 40 years ago that science has updated, but he’s always told us the truth. In an age when it’s hard to trust anyone, that stands as his greatest asset.
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Tebay, Cumbria: It’s a job that makes me feel truly part of the ecosystem – and with 79 yows lambed already, we’re nearly halfway there
Lambing each spring is a time when I find myself going round and round in circles. At least three times a day I do a lap of the farm, checking on the yows and lambs, making notes about which have lambed and how many lambs they have had. I’m also troubleshooting; looking out for lambs that are cold, hungry or inactive, and for yows on the verge of lambing. Just a flick of the tail or turn of the head can give it away.
It’s also time to notice things: hawthorn beginning to blossom, bluebells looking like they might flower soon, two noisy oystercatchers, a buzzard circling overhead. It’s an active world and I’m not just an observer, I’m part of the whole landscape and ecosystem.
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Warm weather means strawberries, aubergines and tomatoes have come weeks earlier than expected
A glut of early strawberries, aubergines and tomatoes has hit Britain with the dry, warm weather eliminating the usual “hungry gap”, growers say.
It has been a sunny, very dry spring, with the warmest start to May on record and temperatures predicted to reach up to 30C at the earliest point on record, forecasters have said.
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A ‘wetter farming’ project explores rehydrating peatland to help grow crops in boggier conditions while cutting CO2 emissions
“I really don’t like the word ‘paludiculture’ – most people have no idea what it means,” Sarah Johnson says. “I prefer the term ‘wetter farming’.”
The word might be baffling, but the concept is simple: paludiculture is the use of wet peatlands for agriculture, a practice that goes back centuries in the UK, including growing reeds for thatching roofs.
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Greatest growth in rural areas as increase in homes with wood-burning stoves contributes to new air pollution hotspots
Growing numbers of UK homes with wood-burning stoves are leading to new air pollution hotspots.
Analysis by led by University College London (UCL) found that the spatial density of burners is related to the amount of air pollution that builds up in neighbourhoods on winter evenings. The greatest density of wood burners was found in urban areas outside major cities. The list was topped by Worthing, Norwich, Reading, Cambridge and Hastings councils, which all had more than 100 wood burners per square kilometre.
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That distinctive ‘new furniture smell’ is a sign that harmful compounds are being released. Here are ways to sidestep the environmental and health risks of cheap furniture
You’ve heard of fast fashion – but what about fast furniture?
It’s the cheap stuff churned out in mass quantities with little regard for quality, all designed to be ditched within just a few years.
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Invasive buffel grass is destroying native rangelands and increasing bushfire risk, but farmers say eradicating it would ‘cripple the beef industry’
Buffel is a simple grass causing an almighty kerfuffle across the country as it progresses through nomination as a weed of national significance.
The perennial grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) is native to Africa and was accidentally introduced to the Australian outback via seeds hitchhiking on camel harnesses, before being deliberately planted through the early and mid-20th century as a summer-growing pasture. It grows in tall tufts with a fluffy flowering head and has spread through the arid and semi-arid rangelands of inland Australia.
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Environmentalists worry that the post-Brexit legislation will allow the destruction of rare and fragile ecosystems
Walk along the gin-clear River Itchen in Hampshire and you might see otters, salmon, kingfishers and clouds of mayflies, all supported by the unique ecosystem of the chalk stream.
The UK has no tropical rainforests or tigers; its wildlife is arguably more modest in appearance. But its chalk streams are some of the rarest habitats in the world – there are only 200, and England boasts 85% of them. If you look properly, they are as biodiverse and beautiful as any rainforest.
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As big companies and informal miners blame each other for the damage to rivers and forests, mining risks long-term harm to those living nearby
The small town of Muzo, nestled deep in Colombia’s emerald-rich valleys of Boyacá province, is a place where the soil holds great wealth. Brick-red homes and tin-roof shacks cling to the mountainside, their bases resting on black sand and dark mud. Below, the Río Minero weaves through the valley, its waters tainted by the silt and debris of continuous excavation.
The region’s natural beauty is marred by scattered waste and discarded mining materials, evidence of an industry that supports the town’s economy – but also harms its environment.
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