My 2018: Review Of The Year

2018 has been a year of extremes. There was an extended winter thanks to the 'Beast from East' bringing in plenty of snow that brought the country to a standstill. This was then followed by one of the hottest summers in the UK's history since records began as I spent most of July sweltering in unbearable heat. It was one extreme to the other. 2018 has also been eventful for me personally too, as I suffered with a kidney stone at the start of the year and I also had to have giant cyst removed from my neck. In March, I made a stupid mistake by accidentally deleting about two years worth of photos from this blog and I spent many months getting them back. On top of this, my regular outings has been less regular as of late due to family and personal reasons. As I can't drive and my budget being limited, its been frustrating not to go out as much as I use to. But when I did get the chance, I have seen some great things.

 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.



Hawfinch (Jan 8th Lynford Arboretum)

 



Sun and Reeds (Jan 17th Strumpshaw Fen)  

 

Parrot Crossbills (Jan 18th Santon Warren)

Treecreeper (Jan 31st Strumpshaw Fen

 

Pheasant and Snowdrops in snow (Feb 7th Strumpshaw Fen)



Brambling (Feb 13th Titchwell)



Red Kite (Feb 16th Cley)



Misty scene (Feb 21st Strumpshaw Fen)



Snowfall! (Feb 27th Waterloo Park and Catton Park)

Coues's Arctic Redpoll (March 6th Whitlingham Broad and Thorpe Marshes)

Twite (March 12th Titchwell and Thornham Harbour)

Bullfinch (March 19th Sculthorpe Moor)

Blackcap (April 11th Strumpshaw Fen)

Ghostly figures in the fog! (April 15th Minsmere)

Garganey (April 19th Cley)

Great White Egret (April 19th Cley)














Cuckoo (April 25th Strumpshaw Fen

















Misty Dawn (May 6th Strumpshaw Fen)

Barn Owl (May 6th Strumpshaw Fen)



Purple Heron (May 7th Cley)

Blue Tit (May 30th Strumpshaw Fen)

Swallowtail (June 6th Strumpshaw Fen)

Stone Curlews (June 10th Weeting Heath and Lakenheath Fen)

Black Redstart (June 12th Norwich)

Ring-necked Parakeet (My London Adventure - Part 1)

Me with Victoria Giant Lily pads at Kew Gardens (My London Adventure - Part 2) 

Silver-washed Fritillary (July 4th Strumpshaw Fen)

Purple Emperor (July 12th Minsmere, Therberton Woods and Mousehold Heath)

Lesser Yellowlegs (July 20th Titchwell)

Pied Flycatcher and Southern Migrant Hawker (Aug 3rd  Roydon Common, Dersingham Bog and Titchwell)

Red Fox (Aug 15th Strumpshaw Fen)

Wryneck (Sep 3rd Winterton)

Wasp Spider (Sep 4th Minsmere)

Ivy Bee (Sep 19th Strumpshaw Fen and Buckenham Marshes)

Bloody-nosed Beetle (Sep 22nd Titchwell)

Jack Snipe (Oct 9th Great Yarmouth and Cley)

Merveille du Jour (Oct 11th Mousehold Heath)

Fallow Deer (Oct 25th Holkham Hall and Holkham Pines)



King Eider (Nov 5th Sheringham)

Bittern (Nov 6th Minsmere)

Waxwing (Nov 8th Kelling and Cley)

Water Pipit (Dec 4th Titchwell)

Sunrise over the River Wensum (Dec 12th Strumpshaw Fen)

Taiga Bean Geese (Dec 14th Buckenham Marshes)

Grey Seal pup (Dec 27th Horsey Gap)

As you can see, 2018 has been quite eventful. Despite all the extreme weather conditions, kidney stones, cysts, lost photos and other problems, I have seen and photographed plenty of new and exciting wildlife. 2018 has also been the year in which I raised a bunch of emperor moth caterpillars from egg to cocoon. I'm hoping that in 2019, they will emerge into adults. For next year, I am attempting two challenges, which I will go into detail soon. One of these challenges will be life changing for me, while the other will hopefully be a bit of fun similar to my bug hunt challenge back in 2017. So 2019 will definitely be an interesting year for me one way or another, I just hope I will encounter more exciting wildlife along the way.