Dawn Chorus: The beavers who built a £1 million project for free, and Alexa Chung's new Barbour collection

'Beavers always know best' — especially when they're saving people £1 million

When faced with a problem around the house or garden, there are three schools of thought. One: call a professional and get it sorted. Two: get out the toolkit and try to fix it yourself. And three: keep putting off doing anything about it, and hope that it somehow magically fixes itself.

For those naysayers (like my wife) who suggest that number three isn’t really a viable option, we’ve got news for you: it does, and we can prove it. The news comes from Czechia (or ‘the country formerly known as the Czech Republic’ as many of us still think of it) where a civil engineering project to build a dam and create a wetland area was delayed for so long — so long — that a group of friendly beavers did the work for them. A news report explains how the beavers turned up and, pretty much overnight, created the required dam, which saving local authorities just under £1 million.

Their work has apparently been beyond reproach. ‘Beavers always know best,’ said Jaroslav Obermajer, head of the Central Bohemian office of the Czech Nature and Landscape Protection Agency. ‘The places where they build dams are always chosen just right — better than when we design it on paper.’

Alexa Chung x Barbour x Glastonbury x Carry On Camping

'Barbour x Alexa Chung is Back!' declared the very excited press release which landed on the Dawn Chorus desk this week. Some six years on from Barbour's first collaboration with the model and TV presenter Alex Chung, a new collection has arrived — and it's very much channelling some old school vibes that are like stepping into a 1980s music festival. Or possibly a Carry On film. Perhaps a bit of both.

It's not us saying that, in case you're wondering, but Barbour themselves, who note that photographer Tim Walker's shoot 'draws inspiration from the nostalgia of camping' by using a 1970s style caravan that looks almost exactly like the one Barbara Windsor and Sid James had in Carry On Camping. There' is also 'a nod to Alexa’s iconic festival styling', while Alexa herself talks about the 'playful takes on Barbour’s heritage'.

Frankly, they nailed this. It's cheeky, funny, will get people talking, and everything looks amazing. 'I’m in love with the second collection I have designed for Barbour,' Alexa adds. Pretty much everyone will be — you can see more at www.barbour.com/alexa-chung.

That sinking feeling

You’ve probably read the news about the sinkhole in a small town called Godstone, which sits within the M25 where south London runs in to Surrey. Perhaps you haven’t; if not, the BBC’s local reporters have been covering it very well, with a series of increasingly jaw-dropping images of the Earth trying to eat a suburban landscape.

For those who don’t live, or drive through, Godstone, there is a bigger question here. Why do they keep appearing? It used to be the sort of thing that we only thought of as happening in Mexico or China, but they seem to be making increasingly regular appearances in the UK.

Thankfully, the British Geological Survey is one step ahead of us and have produced a handy guide explaining the phenomenon. As for why we’re seeing more and more of them? There’s an element of reporting here (the more they are, the more we look for them) but they do seem to have been increasing in recent years due to increasingly heavy rainfall, development on land above old mines or soluble rock (particularly salt, gypsum, chalk and limestone).

Can planting bare root roses save your mental health?

Planting bare root roses has fallen out of fashion in recent years as people have increasingly sought instant colour rather than plants that could take months, or even years, to come through.

Now, though, they're making a comeback, according to rose giants David Austin — and we'll be all the better for it, as #slowliving and taking life at a more leisurely pace starts to gain traction.

'In an age where speed, connectivity, and convenience dictate much of daily life, the slow living movement is a welcome cultural shift,' says David J. C. Austin, the company's chairman and son of the original David Austin who founded the company.

'Bare root roses embody the essence of mindful gardening,' he adds. 'Their planting process is a hands-on journey that rewards care, attention, and a connection to nature, allowing gardeners to nurture their wellbeing (and gardens) from the ground up. In a world that often moves too fast, tending to these roses offers a powerful moment of calm and purpose.

David Austin's bare root rose collections include the Beginner’s Collection, the Fragrant Garden Collection, the Perfect for Pollinators Collection and the Small Spaces Collection. All are priced at £60.

That's it for today — the Dawn Chorus will be back on Monday