As walkers, often venturing into wild and remote places, we can play an important role in the conservation of rare species that many people will never come across, but why bother with bumblebees? Here, Annie Ives – hillwalker and professional bumblebee-bagger as Project Officer for Bumblebee Conservation Trust – explains why these precious, mountain-dwelling pollinators deserve a place in our hearts and how we can help them when we are exploring the hills. Following a faint footpath (or is it a deer track?!) through knee-high heather, I hear a distinctive low hum. Automatically, my eyes join my ears, tuning in…

I’ve written a fair few spring-related articles over the years, each one pondering the various signs that herald the end of winter. And while I’ve always reasoned that spring is a culmination of numerous natural cues across a period of weeks, if I was forced to single-out one thing that represents spring more than any other, then it would be the return of the curlew. Appearance wise, the curlew is surely a contender for our most recognisable bird silhouette. Large, with long legs and a long neck, a small head, and a long and thin beak that curves downwards. That…