CATEGORIES

Sweet Sugar Tot steals the show

A home-produced first ridden, a Shetland with gusto and the reigning RIHS supreme pony champion dazzle under the spotlight

Milestone for iconic eagles

For the first time in 240 years, a white-tailed eagle has fledged in the wild at a secret location in southern England

GILLIAN BURKE

\"People still believe there's a ticking human population time-bomb\"

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Catch all the action as spectacular cetaceans swim by our shores

Algae: simple plants or simply plant-like?

WHAT ARE ALGAE? THE TERM IS used for everything from microscopic bacteria and plankton to pond slime and seaweeds, but unlike animals and many other living things, algal groups are an assortment without a single common ancestor. That said, one feature is shared by most algae in every group: photosynthesis – the ability to make food from carbon dioxide and sunlight, releasing oxygen, just like plants.

Lancaster ticks all the right boxes

William Whitaker could now be world championships-bound with his sevenyear-old victory and a six-year-old wins the same championship as his dam

Fit for purpose

Even when you start with a perfectly fitting saddle, things change as your horse's musculature develops and the saddle itself may suffer wear and tear. Carol Phillips learns how to assess fit in between professional checks

Strong Beau

The part-bred Connie making his championship debut for Britain at the Europeans is a big character but always looks after his rider, finds Polly Bryan

Tinker hits another milestone

Mark Edwards adds a landmark success with his homebred and a teenager makes a winning return from injury

Return of the dragons

Endangered lizard seen for the first time in more than 50 years

Mighty migrants

Bar-tailed godwits show admirable athleticism

Hummingbirds know their drink-fly limits

New research shows that one particular species can function under the influence - up to a point

MARK CARWARDINE

\"Why would killer whales attack yachts in 21st-century Europe?\"

'Snaffles should be allowed in all international dressage'

Riders should have the option to leave the double bridle aside, according to a leading equestrian research body

British championship squads and national winners named

The 2023 endurance and driving championship teams have been chosen, and national endurance titles awarded

Nothing scary to see here

House spiders start to appear indoors in search of warmth and a mate

Scarlet fever

Black bryony is an unmissable hedgerow highlight

Aim of the game

Adult craneflies appear in September with the purpose to mate

Iceland suspends fin whale hunting

The groundbreaking decision lasts until late August and could spell the end of whaling in the country

Lost & Found

COMMON SWIFTS ARE A FAMILIAR FIXTURE of our summer skies, but there are a number of rarer species in this bird family that visit as occasional vagrants from afar.

HIDE AND SEEK

The western lowland gorilla is not as familiar as its mountain cousin, but the forests of Central Africa are gradually revealing the secrets of this elusive ape

TOTALLY CHOUGHED

After a 200-year absence, the rare red-billed chough has been returned to its ancient Kent homeland

Katty Baird

National Museums Scotland volunteer and author of Meetings with Moths on documenting British Lepidoptera

SNAP-CHAT WITH BBC WILDLIFE PICTURE EDITOR TOM GILKS

Ben Hall on destructive deer and getting socked by a gannet

Holding out for a hero

One brave woman, one soggy badger - and a jet ski

This course tests every area of training

Recent European double medallist Kitty King says that riders will need to show good horsemanship over the Burghley cross-country track, with the intensity of the later stages of the course increased from last year

'Delinquent' finds a new level of reliability

A 10-yearold gelding is a reformed character and even a bomb scare can't halt Mark Edwards' golden winning streak

Burghley's first ladies

Tough, stubborn, determined, brave - these are words we associate with the best mares and the qualities needed to do well at Burghley. Becky Murray finds out about the event's premier female runners throughout history

A pain in the posterior

How concerned should you be about pinworms and what else may cause similar signs? Kieran O'Brien MRCVS explains

Horse bones musician

Matthew Herbert on making music from an equine skeleton - tapping into the history of both music and the horse, bringing the horse back to life through sound – and the day a bronze horse turned up on his land