News — nature

To read Richard Jefferies is to step instantly into England’s past. The Victorian nature writer was an acute observer of detail, and his books and articles are full of scenes that have largely vanished, now, from rural life. He describes sitting behind a haywain in the setting sun, waiting for rabbits to surface; a farmstead with only a mud track leading to its candlelit windows; workers scything the crops.

The two Raven chicks spotted by Steve Wright at Marine Drive, Douglas, Isle of Man. I was slightly distracted though when a Hen Harrier flew over my head.

Common Ravens build their nests on tall structures like cliffs and towers and often reuse the same nests or nest sites each year. They usually nest in the spring, and both parents work together over several months to raise a single brood of up to seven chicks.

Ravens build rather large, untidy nests, but their eggs are beautiful and often uniquely patterned. The young birds mature slowly and may spend several months in association with their parents after leaving the nest.

A thorough and enjoyable natural history of The Hare, an illusive and much loved species. 

This book is all you need to know all abut the ways of the hare, its behaviour, distribution, interaction with humans through history and survival.

With 230 stunning colour photographs, by talented wildlife photographer David Mason, include pictures of hare behaviour never caught on camera before. This is a book that is informative and beautiful to look at.