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3 years ago February I awoke at 1am to birdsong like I've never heard before. One bird with notes so pure and flute like, it would have done one of the great composers proud. Three nights in a row, then it was gone. I long to hear it once more.

We were walking on the sea wall at Keyhaven on the Hampshire coast. Suddenly there was a streek of fast moving electric blue. "There up there" I cried, pointing to the kingfisher hovering above a pool in the sea marsh. It was magical.

Discovering little treasures left to us .. by whom? Faries, wood sprites? Perhaps we'll never know. But for sure we know that sense of joy when we come across that one stone, that fallen leaf, ripples on a pond, dew drops on a spiders web.

At Leighton Moss yesterday, a flash of jewelled brilliance darting to and fro over the water, it then perched in a waterside tree to give us an amazing view of this little beauty. A kingfisher. The first we had ever seen. It was magic, pure magic.

Wintertime. The coast of Cardiganshire. A late evening journey. A full moon after a sudden heavy fall of snow. The result was a magical, silver and black landscape of mountains and sea which I can still visualise and wonder at 40 years later!

Rushing downstairs at just after midnight, my husband and I putting anoraks over our night clothes, running into the garden like a couple of excited children (we are both in our late fifties). “Look there’s one! Make a wish “, “where? are you sure? I didn’t see it!” “yes look there’s another” “ oh I...

and finches fed happily on seeds in the clearing in the wood at the nature reserve at Occombe Farm, near Paignton, South Devon. And suddenly, five goldfinches made a stunning sight as a gentle autumn sun picked out their colourful heads.

A dew sparkled May morning amid the birches in the New Forest when the sun rose and touched the glade and a white stag silently stepped onto the path and stopped to look at me. We shared the sun and dawn chorus for a moment then both walked on.

I wonder? as I set about my robin impersonation under the nest with 4 young in it. At each attempt up popped 4 blind skinny heads with yellow beaks wide- open -absolutely wonderful!! I was rumbled the next day - but what a magical moment!