Each winter, I become anxious to see a particular type of bird to arrive on our shores - the short-eared owl.

Not necessarily rare if you are in the right parts of Britain, but one bird species that eluded me while living in London was the dipper.

On a hot day in June I’m sat in the middle of a grassy field surrounded by an orchestra of insects forever tuning their instruments. Perhaps encouraged by such cacophony, a complete novice seems to be joining in occasionally.