Flyladyphotography By Wendy Cooper

  There’s a Dunnock singing outside…   They’ve been flicking and flirting around the front and back garden for the past week or so, Robins have also been chasing about in the garden for territory rights and I’ve watched Blue Tits flying ‘tag’ in the garden as well as hearing Great Tits beginning to declare…  The weather since November has mostly been on the mild side, a bit damp with (for here) a smattering of snow and a couple of frosts.  In the local woods, the Bluebells are a couple of inches through the soil, the Elderberries are all bursting into leaf and there is a carpet of young Stinging Nettles and hopeful Ground Ivy.  Here and there on old wood, toadstools and brackets have appeared as well as a few slime moulds. There have been plenty of Jays about in the woods and I have seen them on their regular winter commute across the back garden as they go back and forth prospecting for food.  We have even had one stop by the garden feeders on several occasions, having a fine meal

  Well I thought I’d had a quiet year….  Then I started to review my nature diary and realised there were so many moments of utter delight , sometimes at ‘firsts’ but more often than not at watching our familiar everyday extraordinary Creatures; I have tried to pick (for me) the most special memories, so settle back and join me in some of my special moments of 2018! In early January, I decided a trip to the Brecks was in order… I’d heard rumours of something rather special, so thought I would try…  Arriving just at the right time, I spent a happy morning watching a young Otter, d oing Otter things ,  in a river in the English Countryside.  My wonder at watching this beautiful animal was no less than when we had seen our first ever Otters up on Mull i n 2017 and the very silly grin lasted a long time! During January it was soo cold!  We also had snow, which saw the garden café become very busy!  Whilst I did my Big Garden Birdwatch  on a fine sunny day, there were also days when