With everything that’s been going on recently, I always turn to our natural world as it gives us something positive to think about. We are so lucky to be able to enjoy such beauty on our doorstep!

I’ll start with our feathered friends and some of Harry’s top birding moments of the year. And before you ask, no, I’m not quite a ‘twitcher’ yet, but am well and truly on the way !

During this year, I spent many happy hours at one of the top birding hotspots in the region, our very own Summer Leys reserve in Northants.

The Leys certainly lived up to all expectations as we were blessed with some rather rare avian visitors stopping off at this remarkable wetland. These included a purple heron, blue headed yellow wagtail, water pipit, osprey and the brief appearance of a male hen harrier which, like the osprey, was on route to warmer climes when it dropped in briefly. I was fortunate to see the harrier too, thanks to Ricky Sinfield for the cracking photo. These were all incredible birds to witness and all firsts for me in the county. You just never know what feathered friends will turn up at this place any time of the year and if you haven’t been there yet, it is well worth a visit.

Please note :- There are now parking charges in place for the reserve, (free parking for members who’ve registered their car details with us) which will ensure that every visitor contributes to the upkeep of such a special site. In the new year we’re hoping to have a small visitor centre with some amenities for visitors too, so all very exciting!

The star performer for me, however, was the Eurasian Bittern that stayed in the reedbeds for several weeks and gave people the most amazing views of a very shy and illusive bird. It skulked around in the depths of the phragmites for hours on end, teasing us with occasional obscured glimpses, in typical bittern fashion. The camouflage of these herons is truly incredible and makes this fairly large bird vanish before your eyes like some magicians trick!  

I did manage some fairly close up views of the bird behind the foliage, but never very clear. Then one day, I heard a fellow birder shout ‘bittern flying !’ To my astonishment and good fortune, the bird flew up and jumped into cover right in front of me. I was able to click off two pictures before it disappeared!

Some of the other top moments, included being mesmerised by the dozen hobbies in May that chased the newly hatched mayflies around the reserve with such agility. Such a stunning bird I could watch them for hours ! 

And the lady kestrel at The Great Fen in Cambridgeshire that hunted a few metres above my head, so close I could hear its wings beating as it battled the wind to keep its head perfectly still, whilst it focused on the ground. I felt I could just reach out and touch this hovering raptor and she seemed oblivious to my presence, such a privilege to be in her company.

Now one of our most stunning of all birds, in fact you could say feathered royalty, is the glorious kingfisher, and I haven’t had much luck seeing these over the years. Some people it seems regularly watch them up close diving into a stream, catching fish then see the bird bash the poor fish on a branch before they devour the prey and fly off. For me I’ve been lucky if I just hear the shrill ’”tsee tsee” call, then get a brief glimpse as the blue flash darts off along the river. They just never perch near me. Then, within a week in June my patience paid off, first, I managed a photo of one in flight and then, whilst at The Great Fen again one flew and landed on a post right in front of me, a gorgeous dazzler of a bird and one you just can’t get bored of seeing. Again two clicks from me and it was off, sadly not the sunniest of days but I’d happily watch these pretty things anytime any day!

And finally on the bird front, an incredible experience with a Nightingale, this time on a Wildlife Trust reserve in Suffolk. Walking along a heathland path in Spring, a small bird flew suddenly out of a tree past my head and landed in the gorse bush a few metres away, don’t know who was more startled, me or the bird ! It stared at me then flashed its reddish brown tail and continued to work its way along the heathland towards a large oak and then it was gone. It was one of those moments that I’ll never forget, and I knew it was a special bird. I hastily returned next morning dragging my family along hoping I’d made the right Identification. Luckily, we were not to be disappointed, as we entered the Heath we were greeted by the wonderful melodious sound of the nightingale, singing its beautiful song from the oak tree. We sat down together beneath the tree and listened for some time before the bird moved to different perches to serenade us in full view before he said goodbye.

It wasn’t just the birdlife that helped me through the year though and the sight of a vixen and four fox cubs at one of our reserves was also a great experience. Seeing the cubs rolling about in the late afternoon sun was truly magical.

And not forgetting the insects. My favourite butterfly this year was a small copper I spotted around the car park at Summer Leys, it had a rare aberration, noticed by one of our eagle eyed lepidopterist friends. At Brampton Wood, which as always produced the goods, there were plenty of white admiral, black hairstreak and fritillary butterflies to savour. Its bluebells display wasn’t bad either! (Watch this space for some amazing bluebell events in the Spring where you can get involved!)

Finally, on the Christmas theme, I wasn’t able to spot a partridge in a pear tree or any French hens, but I was awoken in my Cambridgeshire village by a calling turtle dove most of the Spring, sadly only one of these terribly declining birds, but hopefully it’ll return next year with a mate. And the festive season wouldn’t be the same without a robin photo, sadly not in the snow, but this one I meet regularly at the entrance to Godmanchester reserve and it always likes posing on the gate!

These, often very brief, encounters stay with you forever and is one reason why its so easy to get hooked on this nature watching.

We have so much incredible wildlife and so many amazing nature reserves to enjoy locally, our Wildlife Trust manages over 100 reserves and your support is so important for our work making a difference for our wild spaces for now and the future. If you’re not already, please consider becoming a member, it’s so important for us all, or consider the gift of membership for someone special.

Have a great Christmas, full of festive cheer and all the very very best for the New Year !

Harry Hog