Richard Collins explores the idyllic vineyards of the Languedoc.

THE Einstein of the bird world has died. Alex, an African grey parrot who lived in Waltham Massachusetts, was found dead on September 6th. A postmortem examination failed to establish the cause of death but Alex didn’t die of old age.

IN his column last week, Damien Enright celebrated the butterflies.

Richard Collins on the Dutchman who built a replica of Noah’s Ark.

THE Crannell Giant, which had lived for 3,000 years near the Little River in Humboldt County, California, was felled by loggers in 1926. It contained about 70,000 cubic feet of wood, making it the biggest single organism ever recorded.

DUBLIN Zoo’s Kaziranga Rainforest Trail, the new home for Asian elephants, was opened last week by the Taoiseach.

A NOTE from the British Trust for Ornithology (the ‘BTO’) says that a sparrowhawk, ringed by me, has been found in Malahide.

THE ENEMIES of Reason, a TV series by Richard Dawkins, is being shown by Channel 4.

Richard Collins on how the clownfish holds the key to a new anti-sting lotion.

IRELAND has a new gannet colony; the first to be established since 1988.