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'It’s not ironic that I really like wasps and that they nearly killed me. It’s simply a coincidence': What to do if you're stung by a waspAfter a close encounter with some wasps put him in hospital, William Kendall sought an unlikely remedy...
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Hen harriers: The 'marvels of evolutionary adaptation' that are 'ballet and theatre and poetry inscribed on air'The hen harrier is one of the most glorious birds of prey in Britain — yet it provokes fierce debate. Mark Cocker unpicks why this breed is among the most controversial of all British birds.
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Steve Backshall on sharks, quicksand, and getting his fingertips eaten by piranhasThe adventurer, broadcaster, scientist and writer Steve Backshall joins the Country Life podcast.
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Arthur Parkinson: When it comes to happy hens and yellow yolks, grass is kingDon't get too focused on the colour of an egg. If you provide your hens with a happy habitat, everything else will take care of itself.
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Merlins: Britain's smallest bird of prey is a 'swerving, zigzagging, 240mph weighted missile' that's gutsy enough to chase off a golden eagleSize doesn’t matter when it comes to the fighting spirit of the tiny merlin, a fierce parent and favoured hunting accessory of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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New vision for old Dartmoor: Prince of Wales leads ambitious plans for nature recovery in CornwallThe Vision outlines a set of guiding principles to inform the future environmental management of the Duchy’s Dartmoor estate.
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Wakehurst: 500 years of history, 2.4 billion seeds, 500 acres of planting, and scientists who might just save us allCharles Quest-Ritson takes a look at the amazing work that's been done to update Wakehurst, Kew's trailblazing outpost in Sussex.
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Hannah Bourne-Taylor: Saving swifts, naked protests and the bird that nested in my hairThe campaigner and writer Hannah Bourne-Taylor joins the Country Life Podcast.
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Goshawks: The birds of prey that came back from extinctionBy the late 19th century, the goshawk was indisputably extinct, but their recent restoration to the British isles makes it worth exploring their history. Expert naturalist Mark Cocker tells more about this fascinating bird of prey.
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'The biggest cavities are in the hearts and skulls of politicians': What hope for the swift?Ahead of World Swift Day and Swift Awareness Week, Octavia Pollock ponders the decision not to mandate the use of swift bricks
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'We need to make a case for more resources': What next for wild camping on DartmoorJane Wheatley takes the temperature of the land after years of debate over public access to private spaces.
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From Scotland to Greenland, Earth Photo 2025's shortlisted works showcase our amazing planetThe 203 photographs and films will tour more than 20 Forestry England sites, National Trust properties and other historic houses from next month until spring 2026.
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Gwithian Towans: A golden sand beach that stretches along the eastern curve of St Ives BayNear the north-eastern extremity of the bay, Gwithian Towans in Cornwall abuts the cove of Godrevy — said to have inspired Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse.
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Nanjizal Beach lets you experience a very different Cornwall to headline-hogging Land's EndThe beach — which is also known as Mill Bay — sits about half an hour’s walk south of Land’s End, though the two couldn't be more different.
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Mawgan Creek: The unspoilt antidote to some of Cornwall's busier cornersThe creek feeds into the Helford river and is a short distance from Frenchman’s Creek, known best because of Daphne du Maurier’s 1941 novel of the same name.
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Dollar Cove's name gets it all wrong — it's a Cornwall beach that's worth a millionBen Lerwill takes a look at the West Country beach which has a rich history.
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Arthur Parkinson: Ruffled feathers and a bad attitude — my guide on how to deal with broody hens
A chicken's desire to sit on and hatch a clutch of eggs can be the most effortless way to rear your own birds, but for those who are after eggs and not chicks it can be a real issue.
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Ospreys: The bird that went extinct in Britain for 40 years, and its journey to conservation success storyOnce extinct in these isles, the gargantuan, deep-diving osprey locks onto its piscine prey with a laser-like precision akin to the trajectory of a blunt-tipped missile. Naturalist and author Mark Cocker tells more.
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The breathtaking Cornish cove that's 'like something from a fantasy'Ben Lerwill takes a look at Kynance Cove, the 'scenic highlight of the Lizard Peninsula'.
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'Dartmoor is the ultimate one-billion star hotel': Why wild camping mattersFollowing the ruling from the Supreme Court, revisit Lewis Wink's argument on why the right to wild camp in Dartmoor is vital for us all.
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Centipedes, honeybees and tall churches: Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 19, 2025Counting legs, measuring spires and more questions about Tom Cruise kick off the quiz of the week
