Thursday 31 December 2015

My 2015 - Review Of The Year

It has been my first full year as a blogger, but as you may know, I have been writing up a wildlife diary for much longer. Since 2011, I have been keeping a note of what I have seen by hand and drawing a picture of the main highlights that I saw that day or week. This year was no different as I not only blogged about the things I have seen but wrote them up in my diary too. As most people love my drawings, I thought it would be nice to show you them for this review of my year in 2015. You may remember some of them from my posts from throughout the year, while others I have never posted before. I have also included some of my favourite photos that I have taken this year as well. I have also included the title of the posts (the date and place names) within the brackets below each picture and photo so you can find the post they are from so that you can read them whenever you like. Enjoy!
Golden Plovers (Jan 5th Cley)
Starling Murmuration (Jan 15th Norwich)
Goldeneye (Jan 22nd Holkham Pines to Gun Hill)
Snow Bunting (Jan 22nd Holkham Pines to Gun Hill)
Pied Wagtails (Jan 26th Norwich)
Bean and White-fronted Geese (Feb 7th Buckenham Marshes)
Herring Gull eating a Starfish (Feb 9th RSPB Titchwell)
Snowdrops (Feb 19th Walsingham Abbey)
Great Crested Grebes (Feb 24th Salhouse Broad)
Goshawk (March 7th Mayday Farm and Lynford Arboretum)
Hawfinch (March 7th Mayday Farm and Lynford Arboretum)




Bittern (March 12th Minsmere)
Common Frog (March 17th Mousehold Heath)
Lapland Bunting (March 19th Salthouse Heath, Kelling Quags and Weybourne)
Brown Hare (March 30th Cley)

Badger (April 8th Reepham)

Badger (April 8th Reepham)













Hedgehog (April 9th Norwich)
Stone Curlew (April 13th Weeting Heath and Lakenheath Fen)
Cetti's Warbler (April 15th Strumpshaw Fen)
Ring Ouzel (April 20th Choseley Barns, Thornham and Titchwell)
Water Vole (April 27th Cley)
Adder (May 4th Mousehold Heath and Minsmere)
Four-spotted Chaser (May 11th Hickling Broad)
Cuckoo (May 13th Strumpshaw Fen)
Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoth (May 21st Holt Country Park and Cley)
Swallowtail (May 27th Strumpshaw Fen)
Little Bittern (June 1st Weeting Heath and Lakenheath Fen)
Great Spotted Woodpecker and chick (June 5th Minsmere)
Meeting Martin Hughes-Games after being on Springwatch Unsprung (June 10th Minsmere)
Dartford Warbler (June 11th Kelling Heath)
Norfolk Hawker (June 17th Strumpshaw Fen)
Fen Orchid (June 19th Secret Location)
Common Seal (June 28th Blakeney Point)
Common Crane (My Cornish Holiday - Part 1)
Candy-stripe Flatworm (My Cornish Holiday - Part 3)
Herring Gull (My Cornish Holiday - Part 5)
Grey Seal (My Cornish Holiday - Part 7)
Common Dolphin (My Cornish Holidy - Part 7)
Risso's Dolphin (My Cornish Holiday - Part 7)
Marsh Helleborine (July 17th Upton Fen and Cary's Meadow)
Wood Sandpiper (July 20th Cley)
Purple Emperor (July 21st Theberton Woods)
Nightjar (July 25th Buxton Heath)
White Admiral (July 29th Strumpshaw Fen)
Red Deer Calf (July 30th Holkham Hall)
Bee-wolf (Aug 3rd Minsmere)
Great White Egret (Aug 12th Strumpshaw Fen)
Heron eating a Pike (Aug 12th Strumpshaw Fen)



Natterer's Bat (Aug 12 Burgh Castle)

Brown Long-eared Bat (Aug 12th Burgh Castle)



Willow Emerald Damselfly (Aug 19th Strumpshaw Fen)
Water Shrew (Sep 2nd Strumpshaw Fen)
White-winged Black Tern (Sep 8th Ormesby Broad)

Barred Warbler (Sep 10th Minsmere)
Barred Warbler (Sep 10th Minsmere)









Osprey (Sep 15th RSPB Titchwell)
Fallow Deer (Sep 28th Holkham Hall)
Isabelline Shrike (Oct 12th Cley and Beeston Common)
Isabelline Shrike (Oct 12th Cley and Beeston Common)

Green Woodpecker (Oct 17th Snettisham Coastal Park and RSPB Snettisham)
Bewick's Swan (Nov 2nd Minsmere)
Hoopoe (Nov 15th Crostwick)
Marsh Harriers and Starlings (Nov 18th Strumpshaw Fen)
Little Auk (Nov 23rd Sheringham)
Short-eared Owl (Nov 25th Strumpshaw Fen)
Red-necked Grebe (Dec 11th North Norfolk)
Cley Windmill (Dec 11th North Norfolk)

Red Kite (Dec 16th Strumpshaw Fen)

Swan Feed (Dec 19th WWT Welney)
Whooper Swan (Dec 19th Welney)


Grey Seal Pup (Dec 21st Horsey Gap)
 2015 has been a great year hasn't it? I am so glad to share it all with you all and I hope you will continue to follow me on my blog throughout 2016 too. It will be a big year for me and my family. On top of my brother's wedding and my first nephew/niece on the way, it will also be the year I will turn 30. To celebrate my 30th, I have a big adventure lined up in the summer. Of course, I am hoping to see more great things between now and then also. So bring on 2016! It is going to be a massive year! Happy New Year!!!