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Storks in Cornwall, the solar eclipse and more uplifting stories
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Good morning.
“I do feel a bit emotional,” said Yan Swiderski, the founder of the Cornwall Stork Project, as the focus of so many years of work were finally released into the wilds of Bodmin. “They’re a little bit clumsy at the moment. They aren’t used to flying free … but they do look majestic, don’t they?”
It would be misleading to suggest that the 21 white storks have been reintroduced to the UK as the species has never been a native of these isles. Instead, they were released at a time when migratory patterns are set to move north thanks to climate change.
The aim is let the presence of white storks entice people to be interested in nature. “If you can interest people in birds like storks – what they eat, where they come from, where they go – you can have all those conversations about healthy soils, the importance of organic farming for insects, the importance of not overgrazing for small mammal populations, thriving wetlands,” says Swiderski. “And that is worth a lot.”
Read on for more uplifting stories.
The Guardian newsletters team
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‘I lose all sense of time in the hypnotic flow’: five writers on their favourite British rivers
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 Jo Moseley at the River Esk. Photograph: Mary Davies
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From paddleboarding the River Esk where you can experience tranquil wildlife and views of Whitby, to wild camping along the River Dart, a place which offers pristine moorland, oak-lined valleys and solitary swims in deep pools. There are many places to mess about on the river and find some peace and joy.
For more solo adventures you can relax with some fly‑fishing along the River Dove, a place which blends tricky casts, and pastoral beauty, where wild brown trout rise in crystalline, fast‑flowing pools. Something more strenuous might be a hike to find the sources of the Severn and Wye, a journey which blends scorching moorland with the wildlife‑rich upper Wye valley.
Or take it all in by canoe along the River Tay in Perthshire, and enjoy kingfisher spotting and the view of beaver lodges.
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The Feast app: your most useful kitchen utensil
Get inspired with more than 7,000 recipes from our world-class cooks and smart, exclusive features to make cooking a breeze.
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I took up slalom skateboarding at 60 – and I’m off to the world championships!
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Darren Miles, a slalom skateboarder competing for Team GB at the World Skate Games in Paraguay. Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
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At 60, Darren Miles is about to represent Great Britain at the world championships in slalom skateboarding – a sport he took up only in his late 50s. After a lifetime on a skateboard, he noticed his flexibility fading and his old tricks becoming increasingly difficult to do. Then, during lockdown, a stranger praised him for performing a simple 180 manoeuvre. It was a life-changing inflection point.
Rather than give up, Miles found a new challenge in slalom, racing downhill between cones and learning to move his body in a different way. Now, after years of skating for the joy of it, he is discovering what he can still achieve – and seeing how far he can push himself.
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The return of the caspian tiger: how a species feared extinct has come back to Kazakhstan
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Female Amur tiger Umit runs into the wild after being released. Photograph: Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources/Reuters
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Caspian tigers were last sighted in Kazakhstan more than 70 years ago. Earlier this month, a female Amur tiger, a breed whose DNA is virtually identical to Caspians, was released into a nature reserve in Kazakhstan as part of a pioneering repopulation programme.
“Umit,” which translates to “hope” in Kazakh, was transported to the reserve from the far east of Russia, and soon, she will be joined by more big cats. “There is a lot of work ahead on monitoring tigers and forming a stable population, but today the first and very important step has been taken,” said Kazakhstan’s environment minister.
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How I learned to love running, the unorthodox way
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Ioan Marc Jones running in Crystal Palace park. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
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Ioan Marc Jones has always hated running – he found it painful, boring and monotonous. But, an old football injury forced him to take up the sport properly.
After conventional running advice failed, he turned to more unconventional tips from seasoned runners, including taking a shot of pickle juice, wearing nipple tape and listening to Hamlet. For the first time, Jones managed to run consistently for more than a month and discovered his own “running personality”. He may not love running yet, but he is enjoying the journey and, more importantly, starting to see himself as a runner.
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Millions flock to eclipse viewing spots across Europe
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The recent total solar eclipse as seen from the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory in Arcos de las Salinas, near Teruel, Spain. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
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On Wednesday evening, millions of people in Europe watched a rare solar eclipse. When the Guardian asked them to share their photographs and experiences of an evening spent trying to catch a glimpse without burning their eyes, all sorts of beautiful responses came back.
From those who basked in what they described as “a few minutes of glory”; to those who couldn’t be more impressed by the humble colander’s eye protecting properties – their responses are well worth a read. “It was a great chance to take a moment to be in nature, surrounded by our community and folks of all ages, all pausing to observe the eclipse,” as one of them put it.
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| When my teenage son was struggling, my partner reached him in ways I couldn’t |
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After a catastrophic falling out with university friends, Lola’s 19-year-old son was struggling to see the light. Enter Lola’s boyfriend, who made all the difference – connecting with her son and helping turn things around. It was a learning experience for the whole family, Lola included: “Watching you step in taught me that I didn’t always have to be the one to fix things,” she says. Here, she thanks her boyfriend from the bottom of her heart.
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