I headed to Connaught Water first thing and took a wander, the Mandarin's were distant but some nice tufted ducks, great crested grebes close in along with some ducklings and goslings. The highlight was a couple of common terns. I headed off and drove to a site where a black adder had been seen. It took a few hours to locate it and the views were not the best but still nice to see, a couple of common lizards also seen before I headed to work.

An after work visit into Suffolk to a few sites for more Goldilocks buttercup micro species, three sites and three species seen St Peter, Bradfield and Lawshall.

An early start and I was on Salisbury plains as dawn broke, I was here to see the great bustard lek. Wow what a morning atleast 5 males and over 20 birds in total most stayed but there were a few coming and goings which made it haerd to get an exact count. But it was a cracking morning with some birds coming very close to display. I made a detour south for some pale dog violets before heading home via North Kent where in a field margin the scarce grey mouse ear was located along with a few commoner plants.

Chips - Sole Plaice, Darenth - Battered Sausage, Onion rings and Chips - 8/10

I drove overnight to Kinghorn for dawn, it was bitterly cold so I watched from the car, a couple of others arrived and we scanned the sea for a couple of hours before one of them spotted a blow. For the next 5 or so hours we watched the sei whale, it never came in close which made it difficult to photograph but I got a few record shots. Mid afternoon I headed for home stopping at Dunbar for food and to see the Kittiwake colony and a brief stop on Lindisfarne to see dwarf eelgrass.

Chips - Central Cafe, Dunbar - Pizza and Chips - 8/10

I had a tip off about some cryptic leatherbugs at Little Belhus Country park so headed there for about 9am it did not take long to find one. I bumped into a local volunteer and we searched for insects for a while and quite a few nice ones, slender horned leatherbug, bordered shieldbug, knobbed shieldbug, tortoise shieldbug along with , angle sided and pointed keeled ladybirds. I met up with Stuart read near Sudbury to search for Blue shieldbugs and it did not take long before we found a few. We also found a grass snake, bank vole and nightingale, we popped to another couple of local sites to see some scarce plants mousetail and shepherd's needle before heading for home.

An after work visit to Madingley Hall for Madingley Goldilocks Buttercup, plenty in flower along with some oxlips, creeping buttercup and cowslips.

After a quick stop for some goldilocks buttercups locally I headed to Sussex where I was lucky to see a Kuhl's pipistrelle being released after being rehabilitated. It did not hang around and flew very quickly showing the distinctive white trailing edge to the wings as it circled a while before heading off.

Chips - Mr Fryer, Horsham - Fish, Chips and Pea Fritter 8/10

An after work visit to a couple of local churches for Riseley and Pertenhall goldilocks buttercups.

A more relaxed start saw me in the Winchester area for Spring cinquefoil and yellow figwort. before heading down to the edge of the New Forest for Wild tulips and Asarabacca. I had some chips before locating the Narrow leaved lungwort. I headed for home via the Surrey Hills, here the long established Koch's gentian was located in full flower.

Chips - New Forest Bistro, Blackfield - Burger and Chips 8/10

An early start to get to Lancashire for dawn, it was colder than expected with a frost, but it warmed quickly and the target was spotted a couple of times flying about. Eventually one settled and the belted beauty gave itself up for photos. A short drive to Arnside, which was fully of newly arrived willow warblers, but the target was botanical and after a bit of a search the white form of Teesdale violet was located just one in perfect flower. The afternoon was spent at Ainsdale Sand Dunes Nature Reserve, somewhere I have never been before and it was a pleasant walk round the woods and dunes but no sign of the dusky warbler. Last stop was at Frodsham Marsh but the black necked grebe could not be located, with time getting on, a stop for chips was taken before heading home.

Chips - 4 Seasons, Frodsham - Haggis and Chips 8/10

I made a couple of local visits in search of the goldilocks buttercup micro species, The Backs, Keddington and Comberton all giving an idea of their locations a few other plants seen some nice Slender speedwell and yellow star of Bethlehem going over. Several nice encounters with the local hares and a couple of barn owl sightings of note.

I disturbed a polecat from my front garden (new garden tick) as I left at 5am, followed by some fallow deer at the edge of the village. I added rabbit, brown rat and muntjac before reaching Woodwalton Fen for first light. An almost pure white barn owl passed the car but it was too dark for anything other than a blurry record shot. I headed into the wood A muntjac was on the ride along with some ducks as I approached I could see that they were two mandarins and two wood ducks totally unexpected. I was almost run over by two hares running at full speed. I found a couple of Chinese water deer in a clearing and then another dozen or so in the fields behind the main reserve. On my walk round there were a dozen more Chinese Water deer scattered through the reserve two water voles and 5 more hares. Avian highlights were bittern one in flight and three booming. I added grey squirrel as I was leaving. I stopped in at Ferry meadows but could not find the yellow figwort but did see a common shrew. Barnack was rammed with dog walkers but I found a couple of quieter spots to photograph the pasque flowers and rare spring sedge which I later found out was spring sedge doh! Another visit needed. I popped in to Fineshade woods to see the English White Elm before heading to the Brampton Valley way where Brian Laney had kindly given me a couple of locations to try for wall whitlowgrass the second of which has plenty of plants in flower.

I made a pre work visit to a small woodland in Suffolk, here I was after the rare Suffolk or unspotted lungwort, the wood was carpeted in annual mercury and garlic mustard was just about to flower, primroses in the rides along with my target, hundreds of Suffolk lungwort plants flowering nicely.

I returned to Santon Downham, a little later than on Saturday, I met two birders and as I approached them a lesser spotted woodpecker appeared, very nice. They had seen an otter so after a while I wandered off in search of one. A roe deer on the path but little else in the snowy conditions but I did locate three otters one went downstream and I followed the other two upstream for a while until they disappeared into a holt and I wandered back to the car. I encountered a rather large flock of crossbills on the way. I headed for home as the sun came out.

I was in Santon Downham before light and did not find any otters during my walk but did have lesser spotted woodpecker which was very nice, there were plenty of birds in the area kingfisher, siskin, redpoll, crossbill, grey wagtail, mandarin. A few mammals were encountered muntjac a water vole and a roe deer. The walk back to the car turned up some displaying woodlark and I headed off for Chips. I spent the afternoon at Lakenheath RSPB, it was pretty quiet bird wise with garganey the pick of the sightings, although nice to see sand martins and swallows and displaying marsh harriers on my rather long walk. The feeders had a couple of brown rats under them picking up the scraps.

Chips - Historic Fish And Chips, Lakenheath - Saveloy and Chips 8/10

I spent the day at home doing some gardening etc. and taking it easy. But some alarm calls in the garden roused my interest and I found a roosting tawny owl, I only managed one dodgy photo before the blackbirds drove it off.