Recording neighbourhood nature helps us protect wildlife - and ourselves

Recently, two otters appeared separately in our village. At the same time, three great white egrets - large, still-rare white herons - turned up, too.

- Nicola Chester

We hadn't been flooded, but the spotting of these wetlandloving species and, crucially, the recording of their presence, helped us see our familiar landscape in a different way - and to become newly excited about it.

There are two small chalk streams in our village, as well as ditches, garden ponds and lakes at the big houses. But I never dreamt either of these species would be here, even when researching and writing a book on otters for the RSPBa few years ago. It tooka friend messaging me late one night to say, sadly, she'd found a dead otter by the side of the road.

Standing with my daughter at the spot, just after midnight, we were aware of the trickle of the stream quietly running under the road, ina way we hadn't been before. A narrow winterbourne, that dries up in summer and wends quite secretly through gardens, fields and woods, felt full of fresh possibility.