Birds
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A solitary little egret is an elegant sentinel on the muddy creekCountry diary: Poppit Sands, Cardigan Often I encounter him fishing here, with an oystercatcher or redshank for company, watching acutely, spearing for small fish and crustaceans.
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All the colours of a November eveningCountry diary: Wenlock Edge, Shropshire There is something about the combination of sky-blue, red and black that fascinates me – I don’t understand why
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Scientists scale trees in desperate attempt to save orange-bellied parrotCritically endangered bird – down to just 14 in the wild – not helped by being ‘morons’ with poor survival instincts
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Marks made on the landscape by an itinerant tea sellerCountry diary: Allendale Town, Northumberland Past lime kilns and quarries, a Roman fort and lead mines, the footpath is a celebration of an individual who made a difference
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The orange-bellied parrot is the most endangered bird in Australia. Fortunately, the Difficult Bird Research Group is coming to the rescue – and you can help!Help save Australia's orange-bellied parrots. There are only 14 left!
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Hen picked: the UK's National Poultry Show – in picturesThis year’s event in Telford, Shropshire, is showcasing about 7,000 entries from around the world. Leon Neal photographed some of the more remarkable birds
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High on a Dorset heath, where wind rattles the heatherCountry diary: Hardown Hill, Dorset I skirt the old quarry workings, swamped in spring with bluebells and now swathed with rusty bracken
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100 years ago: Rooks set about the acorns in an orderly wayOriginally published in the Manchester Guardian on 25 November 1916: The rooks set about the business as if they were a great gang of human workers sent for the purpose of clearing up the food which remained
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Crowds gather to watch the pelican that flew in to CornwallBirdwatch The only wild pelican to be seen in Britain in modern times has been attracting birders to Cornwall all summer. But pelicans were here 2000 years ago. Might they return?
Pecking order: toothless dinosaur points way to evolution of the beak