The sparrow, subject of an exhibition at the Natuurhistorisch Museum in Rotterdam until mid-May 2007.

Most people nowadays have more material possessions than they need and it’s almost impossible to select suitable Christmas presents for them. One option is to give books, so here are a few suggestions.

BROADLOUGH is a shallow coastal lagoon on the river Vartry just south of Wicklow town. There, on a sunny day last October, I encountered one of the great hopefuls of Irish ornithology; an osprey.

READERS of the Examiner will have seen Áilín Quinlan’s report of fin whales off the Cork coast.

THE GREAT Swedish botanist, Carolus Linnaeus, the third centenary of whose birth is being celebrated in 2007, was the first person to grow bananas in Europe.

THE MOST frequently mentioned name in the history of science is that of the botanist Carl Linné.

ALL ANIMALS are born equal but some are more equal than others.

THE spirits of the dead have their annual night out this week. Ghosts, goblins and witches will be on the prowl, so carry a rabbit’s foot for good luck and don’t walk under any ladders.

DIARMUID, our youngest son, returned from the jungles of Bolivia last month. He brought home a guest. Some odd characters stay with us from time to time, but the Bolivian visitor, who is still here, is the strangest to date.

PEOPLE DON’T like starlings. They are noisy, aggressive and greedy. Their nests, often in the roofs of houses, are a total mess and they gobble up everything on the bird table, leaving nothing for the smaller birds.