Nature & wildlife

Enjoy the chorus of birdsong wherever you are; fling open your windows to hear local songbird populations in full voice or head out into the garden to spot birds twittering in the trees. With our guide to birdsong and bird spotting you’ll be an expert bird spotter in no time.

Specialist butterfly volunteer, Matthew Oates, has over 50 years of butterfly spotting experience. Here are his top tips to help you on your way to spotting these beautiful insects.

Spending time in nature not only boosts our connection to the natural world it also helps our wellbeing. From looking up at the trees to walking barefoot in the grass, we’ve got a beautifully illustrated guide full of ideas to get you started.

Join us in our anniversary year and make a promise for nature. Whether you want to build a bug hotel or reduce energy use, we’ve got a great set of promises you can make. It's never been more important to look after the forests, rivers, oceans and parks we love to escape to. Together we can make a positive difference to the natural world.

Meet red squirrel ranger, Glen, who is in charge of food rations, keeping predators away and making traffic signs for road crossing squirrels.

Forget orange, green is the colour of autumn across the Cragside estate. The pinetum is a particularly special place at this time of year – the rows of towering spruce are really spiky across the top. Have a slow meander through; it’s very atmospheric.