Hazel dormouse numbers may be recovering in England and Wales after years of decline, with new data suggesting an increase between 2020 and 2025. Scientists think warmer springs and summers are helping the animals find food and save energy for breeding, though researchers caution that the population remains far below its level in 2000 and that woodland protection is still essential.
A flock of white doves has settled in Dunsop Bridge in Lancashire, and has grown to about 90 birds. Residents say the doves are tame and peaceful, and visitors have enjoyed seeing them.
A pet budgie named Luna escaped through a window forced open by a storm in Northampton and was found hiding in a storm drain a mile from home. A passing driver spotted her and alerted the RSPCA, who rescued her and reunited her with her owner, Cimberley Frost.
Hazel dormice are thriving at a National Trust estate in Devon, where habitat work and regular monitoring have helped their numbers stay stable despite declines elsewhere. Rangers weigh and record the mice each year, and the trust is planting more hedges and trees to help them spread across the estate.
