If you come to the Great Fen expecting a ready-made wetland you are likely to be disappointed. But, if you visit with your mind's eye set firmly on what the future might bring and your awareness tuned into what is around you, you can see magic in the most unlikely-looking places.

Around each of our fields you will see a strip of 'weeds'.  Scruffy and untended, these headlands are left as a refuge for all sorts of wildlife throughout the year.  You could be forgiven for considering them less than attractive, but as you explore the site, especially as we come into the leaner winter months there is plenty of wildlife in the areas of space we have kept between the grazed grasslands and wetlands.

Today as I passed one such untidy field edge I was greeted with the joyous site of hundreds of goldfinches taking to the wing - a charm of goldfinches.  As as they circled and swirled above me I could see the teasel, thistle and other bedraggled looking plants which are packed with the seeds that keep those beautiful little birds going for the whole of winter.

It reminded me all over again that wonder can be found in the most ordinary of wildlife experiences - and that it can catch you unawares, yet leave you breathless.  An abundance of something everyday can be just as special as a rarity, and leave you with a warm glow that only a close encounter with nature can give.