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>Hopes are high for a record-breaking amount of osprey fledglings in a forest, the director of the trust that looks after it has said.

>Eight monitored nests in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, are currently being occupied by the raptors, with about 20 eggs believed to have been laid.

>Kielder Water and Forest Park Development Trust director Liz Blair said: "We've got a real feeling of optimism this year."

>The eggs are expected to hatch within about a week, although Blair warned they were still at risk of predators or the weather, so she did not want to count her chickens - or ospreys, in this case.

>"We know nature comes into play, we had problems with goshawks last year and the weather could suddenly change - but this does look like a good year," she said.

>Last year, only six chicks ultimately fledged, which was fewer than in previous years.

>Ospreys are migratory birds and often spend winter in Africa, but were once found throughout the UK during the warmer months - until they were driven to extinction as a breeding bird.

>From the Middle Ages to the 20th Century, the birds - which have a fish-based diet - were hunted to protect the livestock of those raising fish to sell and eat.

>In the Victorian era, they then became a target for egg collectors and taxidermists.

>They disappeared from England and Wales in 1847, then became extinct in Scotland in 1916.

>However, they returned to the UK in 1954, and there are now close to 300 breeding pairs, according to the Wildlife Trusts.

>Blair said they got "an enormous amount of attention" from visitors to the forest.

>"They're pretty majestic when you see them and they're a fabulous enhancement to an already beautiful place," she said.

>The monitoring and care of the birds is handled by a partnership between local organisations working in the area, including Forestry England, the Northumberland Wildlife Trust and Northumbrian Water.

>Pairs of ospreys bond for life and return to the same nest each season.

>"The joy of when we see them come back again is just fabulous," said Blair.

>A charity has purchased a water meadow beside a rare chalk stream, which it hopes to turn into a sanctuary for wildlife.

>Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said it had acquired Court House Meadows alongside the River Meon, one of only 220 chalk rivers in existence.

>The site covers more than eight hectares in the Meon Valley and will not be open to the public.

>The Trust thanked its partners, the local community and its members for the thousands of donations that made the purchase possible.

>It said the site will be managed to support wildlife and restore the river's natural floodplain to help reduce flood risk downstream and improve water quality.

>Most of the world's chalk streams are in southern England and are known for their clear water and gravelly bottoms, which support wildlife such as Atlantic salmon.

>John Durnell, senior director of operations at the trust said: "Securing Court House Meadows is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect an ecologically important site in the heart of the Meon Valley.

>"With restoration work possible on both the land and the River Meon, this rare chalk stream site will be able to flourish, help restore the floodplain to a more natural state, strengthen wildlife connections in the surrounding area, and create a space where species can thrive again.

>"We can give space back to species including our much-loved water vole, whose habitat has dramatically declined, which makes sites like this so crucial for their survival."

>The new site strengthens the trust's landholding in the Meon Valley, which includes St Clair's Meadow, Bere Copse, Shutts Copse and Chappetts Copse nature reserves.

>An unexpected population of wild beavers has been found.

>Nature recovery programme Cumbria Connect said it could confirm rumours of the animals being spotted in and around the River Lowther in Eden - the first wild population of the semi-aquatic rodent in the county.

>Natural England said they were a protected wild population under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations, meaning it was illegal to capture, harm, or disturb them.

>Cumbria Connect said it was not involved in the release of the animals and suspected their release was illegal - which it did not "support".

>Programme manager Martin Varley said: "We now need to focus on how we manage this situation responsibly and collaboratively.

>"We do not support illegal wildlife releases and believes species recovery must take place through responsible, licensed and transparent processes."

>The programme said it had already been aware of the population, but did not publicise its presence to reduce the risk of the beavers being disturbed by the public.

>However, tracks left behind by the animals and an increased number of sightings had made it "appropriate" to confirm their existence.

>Beavers are native to Britain but were wiped out in the 16th Century, mainly due to hunting, according to the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

>They first returned to the UK in the early 2000s, but were only allowed to be kept in enclosed spaces in England until last year - when beavers were first released into the wild again.

>White-tailed eagles - the UK's largest bird of prey - will be released across Exmoor National Park after the government approved the latest stage in a controversial national reintroduction scheme.

>Up to 20 birds, which are also known as sea eagles and were once extinct in the UK, will be released over three years from this summer.

>But there are concerns the predators could threaten sheep in the area. One farmer in Scotland, where the eagles were reintroduced in 1975, said those in Exmoor should fight plans "tooth and nail" or risk losing lambs to the birds.

>Natural England, which approved the plans on Wednesday, said the reintroduction would be "carefully planned" alongside local landowners.

>The eagles, which have a wingspan of up to 2.4m (8ft), are already known to have visited Exmoor since the birds were released on the Isle of Wight seven years ago. They have since expanded their territories along the south coast.

>All of the birds to be released in Exmoor will be fitted with satellite tags so a project team, led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, will be able to track their locations and study their progress.

>Steve Egerton-Read, white-tailed eagle project manager at Forestry England, said it was hoped their release would help to boost numbers "and continue their spread across southern England".

>Ali Hawkins, senior ecologist with Exmoor National Park Authority, said the project's backers were "committed to continuing to work with farmers and other stakeholders, to support them in adapting to this species fledging on Exmoor once again".

>White-tailed eagles were once widespread throughout Britain and Ireland but habitat loss and human persecution saw them disappear by 1918.

>The first successful reintroduction of the birds began in 1975 on the Isle of Rum, in Scotland's Inner Hebrides. As more schemes have been launched over the years, however, their return has not always been welcomed.

>Some Scottish farmers say they are losing tens of thousands of pounds of livestock each year as the eagles take vulnerable lambs.

>Ricky Rennie, a fourth-generation farmer on Garvachy Farm, near Minard, Argyll, said he had been dealing with the impact of white-tailed eagles since 2018.

>In the worst year, 2024, he estimates he lost two-thirds of his lambs to the eagles and he estimates he has lost up to £30,000 annually.

>He said farmers in Exmoor should "fight" to stop the birds being released.

>"If they're coming in naturally, there's not much you can do about it, but if they're trying to introduce them, I'd be fighting it tooth and nail - because they will eventually put farms out of business," he said.

>Andrew Connon, president of the National Farmers' Union Scotland, said: "Any Exmoor release must learn from Scottish experience and ensure that farmers are supported within their existing farm systems to embed strong safeguards for livestock from the outset."

>Lamb predation is being closely monitored in Scotland, external and farmers are being given some financial help in managing and mitigating the risks to their flocks.

>The extent to which white-tailed eagles are killing lambs, or whether they are mostly taking carcasses of already dead animals, remains a source of disagreement between many farmers and conservationists.

>A survey of farmers and land managers in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Durham published this month by the NFU found 85% of respondents were against a proposed reintroduction.

>A spokeswoman for the National Sheep Association (NSA) said the organisation had "concerns when new white-tailed sea eagle releases are discussed".

>It has called for a full impact assessment of white-tailed eagle reintroductions "taking into account farm viability and mental health" before more releases take place.

>NSA chairman Peter Delbridge, a sixth-generation farmer on Exmoor, told the BBC: "We don't want to reach the situation where the genie is out of the bottle and we're experiencing losses but because they are a protected bird we won't be able to deal with it ourselves."

>Natural England, the government's wildlife licensing authority, said it would "closely monitor" how the reintroduction on Exmoor is implemented.

>Matthew Heard, Natural England's national delivery director, said the licence it has approved "supports a carefully planned reintroduction, grounded in strong evidence and built on collaboration with local communities and land managers".

>He added: "This moment has been a long time in the planning and shows what can be achieved when ambitious partnerships, good science and positive engagement come together."

>How to recognise a white-tailed eagle

>Brown body with a noticeably pale head and neck, which can become almost white in older birds

>Enormous, broad wings – much broader than a golden eagle's – with fingered ends

>Huge, chunky yellow beak (dark in juveniles) and yellow feet

>Adults have white tail feathers, as their name suggests

>Soars with wings held flat, rather than in a 'V' shape like golden eagles

>Conservationists are calling for laws to be changed so animals such as bison and elk can be more easily introduced to landscapes to help restore nature.

>European bison, the closest living relative to ancient steppe bison that would have lived in Britain thousands of years ago, already roam in heavily-fenced woodland in Kent where their browsing is beginning to benefit the natural habitat.

>There are plans to introduce elk – a large deer species which was hunted to extinction in Britain around 2,500 to 3,000 years ago – into wetland habitat in Nottinghamshire alongside beavers, where it is hoped they will boost the ecosystem.

>But conservationists behind the schemes say they are having to navigate a complicated regime that treats large herbivores such as bison and elk as “dangerous wild animals”, dealt with in the same licensing procedure as lions, tigers or cobras.

>One of the rangers working with the small herd of bison in West Blean and Thornden Woods, Kent, Hannah Mackins, said a local had described the 6ft wild animal fencing with gates and barbed wire as “a bit Jurassic Park”, for an animal that is similar to cattle.

>But, the bison herd also fall under farming requirements such as ear-tagging and bluetongue and bovine TB testing regimes.

>Ms Mackins said “it feels like a really hard, big mountain to get over” to bring in animals such as bison but suggested it would not always be that way, pointing to the continent where schemes used to have to put up fencing around bison and no longer have to.

>The Wildlife Trusts are calling for a “Bison and Elk return Bill”, among a raft of nature-supporting legislation they want to see in this week’s Kings Speech, to create a new regulatory regime for the reintroduction of large herbivores to the wild in England.

>Stan Smith, head of landscape and species recovery at the Wildlife Trusts, said the network of charities use large herbivores – which also include native breeds such as Exmoor ponies and Highland and longhorn cattle – to manage nature reserves.

>“But what we really want to see is a real scaling up of the ability to use large herbivores across much larger landscape areas,” he said.

>“If we are really serious about delivering on our national commitments for 30X30 – that’s 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 – then we really need to think about how we actually manage large landscape areas and have them function for nature.

>“Large herbivores are really the only way to do that.”

>Mr Smith said the trusts wanted to see a new category created for these animals as “kept wild”, with a specific licensing regime for large herbivores over large landscape areas.

>This would require regular checks and, if necessary, intervention to ensure animal welfare, but they would be allowed to live out their lives in a much more natural system.

>In West Blean and Thornden Woods, the bison – which unlike cattle have bottom and top teeth, broadening what they can feed on – are already having an impact by disturbing the dense, scrubby wood, bringing more light to the forest floor and allowing other woodland plants to grow.

>The Wildlife Trusts are also calling for other Bills in the King’s Speech to support nature, including legislation to give the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) emergency powers to ban bottom trawling in marine protected areas.

>A Defra spokesperson said: “This Government is committed to protecting and restoring our most threatened native wildlife to reverse the decline of nature and protect it for generations to come.

>“We are investing £60 million over the next three years into the Species Recovery Programme, marking the largest ever Government investment in directly supporting threatened species. We’re also returning iconic species like beavers and golden eagles to England once more.”

>A wildlife trust has been inspired by Sir David Attenborough's climate change mantra to designate 11 nature recovery zones in honour of the broadcaster's 100th birthday.

>The zones encompass an area of 50,000 hectares - equivalent to 11 times the size of Gloucester - and among them are parts of the Forest of Dean, the Cotswolds and Stroud.

>The trust hopes to raise £3m for Mission Wild, which will focus on restoring landscapes and reintroducing native species in the nature recovery zones, such as the Eurasian beaver.

>Andrew McLaughlin, CEO of the trust, said: "Sir David's always been very clear about that need to act with urgency and scale because this is the kind of thing that nature needs."

>"We're blessed with a county with amazing different habitats," McLaughlin said.

>"We've got the Cotswolds, we've got the Severn Vale, we've got the Forest and even within those areas, there's lots of distinctive features - but what we need to do is start thinking about them together," he added.

>The nature recovery zones include the Windrush Valley in the Cotswolds, the Central Forest in the Forest of Dean and the Stroud Commons.

>McLaughlin hopes the designations will allow the trust to make its nature reserves "more resilient to the ravages of climate change" by restoring habitats and creating wildlife corridors beyond the boundaries of the reserves.

>Sir David's 100th birthday on Friday was widely celebrated, with the broadcaster receiving messages from across the world, including from the King and Queen.

>A tiny parasitic wasp - the Attenboroughnculus tau - was also named in his honour, although it is far from his first fauna namesake, external.

>In Gloucestershire, McLaughlin said Sir David "set the standard" of what the wildlife trust should be doing when he opened its conservation centre at Robinswood Hill in 1992.

>"Sir David has been a huge inspiration for so many people and has brought the world's attention to the plight of nature, urging us all to act," he said.

>"Mission Wild is about accepting that challenge and setting out to achieve a wilder Gloucestershire, with benefits for people, communities and nature," McLaughlin added.

>In 2025, the Met Office announced Gloucestershire had become the driest place in the West of England, with the county experiencing the lowest average rainfall in the region over the past 30 years.

>McLaughlin said the trust hoped to raise awareness of climate change and nature recovery in schools and communities to bring people "together" as part of Mission Wild.

>A quarter of Britons are uncertain they could distinguish between a robin and the red kite. A survey of 2,000 adults found barn owls, pheasants and blue tits are amongst the birds the nation finds difficult to recognise – despite them being familiar species and native to the UK. Kestrels, starlings and even herons also appeared in the top 30.

>More than a third (34%) blamed their lack of knowledge and disconnect with the great outdoors on being overwhelmed by digital content, and 21% say they are more likely to see birds on screens than outside.. But it also emerged 36% watch ambient nature content online to unwind.

>The research was commissioned by Forest Holidays to support the launch of 'Nestflix', a tongue-in-cheek, alternative streaming-style platform featuring aptly titled shows such as Beaky Blinders and Game of Crows, filmed across British forests to help people better connect with our country's wildlife.

>BIRDS BRITS ARE LEAST LIKELY TO IDENTIFY IN THE WILD:

1 Willow Warbler

2 Blackcap

3 Woodcock

4 Dunnock

5 Skylark

6 Lapwing

7 Chaffinch

8 Jackdaw

9 Great Tit

10 Rook

11 Goldfinch

12 Wren

13 Red Kite

14 Kestrel

15 Thrush

16 Swallow

17 Mallard

18 Starling

19 House Sparrow

20 Kingfisher

21 Woodpigeon

22 Blue Tit

23 Heron

24 Puffin

25 Barn Owl

26 Pheasant

27 Blackbird

28 Swan

29 Robin

30 Seagull