My 2017: Review Of The Year

2017 has been a strange year for me. It started well as I began my East Anglian Bug Hunt, which took me to many habitats across the east of England in search of various invertebrate species that I've wanted to see with mixed fortunes. Though my bug hunt was a lot of fun to do, by July, it was sadly overshadowed by money problems and on top of that, my camera died on me and had to be replaced.  However, there were a few other good moments, too. In particular, I was really pleased to be involved with filming a 5 minute documentary about me. I even helped out with a second video about me, which will hopefully come out soon. Here are just some of my favourite encounters and photographs as well as drawings that I've drawn in my wildlife diary from this year. If you want to read the blog post in which each photo and drawing represent, I have left the title of each post in brackets underneath them.

Low winter sun over the sea (Jan 10th Minsmere)



Marsh Harrier (Jan 11th Strumpshaw Fen)



Snow (Jan 13th Waterloo Park)



Grey Wagtail (Jan 18th Strumpshaw Fen)



Pintail (Jan 23rd Titchwell)



Golden Pheasant (Jan 27th Flitcham Abbey Farm, Dersingham Bog and Snettisham)



Little Owl (Jan 27th Flitcham Abbey Farm, Dersingham Bog and Snettisham)



Siberian Chiffchaff (Jan 30th Cley)

 

Sparrowhawk (Feb 1st Strumpshaw Fen)

Black-necked Grebe (Feb 13th Thorpe Marshes)

Hawfinch (Feb 16th Lynford Arboretum)

Smew (Feb 20th Minsmere)

Common Frogs (March 17th Mousehold Heath)

Jack Snipe (March 22nd Strumpshaw Fen)

Red-flanked Bluetail (March 27th Titchwell)



Minotaur Beetle (April 1st Roydon Common and Dersingham Bog)



Lesser Whitethroat (April 24th Minsmere)

Ant-lion (April 24th Minsmere)

Common Sandpiper (April 30th Slimbridge)

Emperor Moth (May 2nd Weeting Heath)

Bluebells (May 3rd Strumpshaw Fen)

Sunrise over the sea (May 7th Cley)












Black-winged Stilt (May 8th Potter Heigham Marshes)





Common Cranes (May 10th Strumpshaw Fen)



Grizzled Skipper (May 14th Cut-off Channel, Lynford Arboretum and Foulen Common)

 

Turtle Dove and Firecrests (May 14th Cut-off Channel, Lynford Arboretum and Foulden Common)

Acorn Weevil (May 16th Catton Park and Mousehold Heath)

Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (May 22nd Brandon Country Park)

Cuckoo (May 24th Strumpshaw Fen)










Little Gull (May 30th Titchwell)

Mole (May 30th Titchwell)

 



Swallowtail (May 31st Strumpshaw Fen)



Brown Hare (June 5th Cley)



Great Spotted Woodpeckers (June 12th Minsmere)



Young Blackcaps (June 14th Strumpshaw Fen)



Weasel (June 21st Strumpshaw Fen)



Wool Carder Bee (June 26th Earlham Cemetery and Whitlingham Broad)

Grass Snake (July 1st Strumpshaw Fen)



Grey Heron eating a duckling (July 3rd Cley)




Glow-worms (July 5th Strumpshaw Fen - at night!)

Common Hermit Crab (July 6th West Runton)

Bearded Tit (July 25th Cley)






Fen Raft Spider (July 26th Strumpshaw Fen & A Secret Location)

 

Water Vole (Aug 9th Strumpshaw Fen)





Glossy Ibis (Aug 15th Cley)



Little Egret (Aug 16th Strumpshaw Fen)



Golden Eagle (My Scottish Adventure - Part 2)

White-tailed Eagle (My Scottish Adventure - Part 3)

Harbour Porpoise (My Scottish Adventure - Part 3)

Dipper (My Scottish Adventure - Part 4)

Crested Tit (My Scottish Adventure - Part 5)

Reindeer (My Scottish Adventure - Part 5)

Red Squirrel (My Scottish Adventure - Part 6)

Highland Games (My Scottish Adventure - Part 6)



Kingfisher (Sep 6th Strumpshaw Fen)

Hobby (Sep 18th Minsmere)




House Martin (Sep 11th Cley)

Curlew Sandpiper (Oct 2nd Cley)

Juvenile Gannet (Oct 2nd Cley)







Red Deer Stag (Oct 9th Holkham Hall)

Tundra Bean Goose (Oct 17th Cley)



Being filmed! (Oct 25th Strumpshaw Fen)



Red Kite (Oct 30th Sculthorpe Moor)



Hen Harrier (Nov 6th Holkham Hall and Titchwell)



Redwing (Nov 8th Strumpshaw Fen)





Shore Lark (Nov 13th Happisburgh)



Starling Murmuration (Nov 15th Strumpshaw Fen)

Pink-footed Geese (Nov 20th Cley)

Bittern (Nov 27th Minsmere)

Grey Seal Pup (Dec 4th Horsey Gap)

Starlings leaving their roost (Dec 6th Strumpshaw Fen)

Receiving my Swift badge (Dec 20th Strumpshaw Fen)

As you can see, though this year has been rather emotionally hard for me, I have seen quite a lot of amazing things. 2017 will always be a year I'd rather forget at times, but for all those great wildlife moments and personal achievements that has happened in the last 12 months, they will stay with me forever. Now that 2018 is almost upon us, I truly hope that many more of these wildlife moments will continue and not get overshadowed by personal emotions and problems as much as it has this year. Here's to 2018! Happy New Year everyone!