I KNOW it’s a bad habit, but I enjoy eavesdropping.

THE horse chestnut is one of the largest flowering trees growing in the temperate zone, often exceeding 30 metres in height with a huge, domed crown.

OVER the past couple of months there seems to have been an increase in the number of greenfinches in my garden.

THERE’S no doubt the internet is a wonderful thing, particularly for somebody like me who spends hours every day trying to track down obscure bits of information.

A LONG time ago, when I was a student, my life was characterised by long summer vacations during which I had no money.

THIS winter a small flock of long-tailed tits has become a regular visitor to my bird feeding station.

A FEW weeks ago I wrote about sparrow hawks and kestrels and I mentioned that the number of kestrels in this country was declining and I hadn’t seen one for several years.

A READER in Fermoy emailed me about the birds in her garden.

THE conservation of nature depends on us knowing where the species are, the number of individuals and whether this number is increasing or decreasing.

WE’RE getting to the time of year when book tokens are in circulation, so I’m going to mention a few recently published books with an outdoors theme that I have enjoyed.