We didn't go away this year, but instead took two weeks of day trips to places less than an hour and a bit away (or so) in "the hearse".

Highlights included The Lookout Centre, Swinley Forest, Blackbushe Airport, Marwell Zoo, Beale Park, Bucklebury Farm, The Hawk Conservancy , The British Wildlife Centre and Bird World.

I've already posted a fair few photos here , here , here and here... but below are some more photos with brief captions visible (I hope) if you hover your cursor over an image...

Our youngest boy looking (dare I say it) very photogenic indeed in this shot.

Red Squirrel at The British Wildlife Centre

Another red squirrel at the British Wildlife Centre

Our eldest boy getting close and personal to his favourite British mammal (we took him to see real WILD ones at the Isle of Wight last year) at the British Wildlife Centre

An otter at The British Wildlife Centre

Our eldest boy watching his mummy's favourite wild British mammal at the British Wildlife Centre, near Lingfield in Kent.

My favourite wild British mammal - at the British Wildlife Centre

Barn owl flying at BirdWorld, Hants.

Our eldest boy's favourite wild British bird, a barn owl, flying at BirdWorld, Hants.

Our eldest boy's favourite wild British bird, a barn owl, at BirdWorld, Hants.

A wonderful (laughing) Kookaburra flying at BirdWorld, Hants.

A (pretty beat-up) male black-tailed skimmer dragonfly at Beale Park

A nest of swallows at Bucklebury farm park. One of about 15 nests we think.

A HUGE female sparrowhawk in our garden in a rainstorm.

The eastern sky above our garden at midnight on the night of peak Perseid activity. I saw two lovely meteors but didn't get any on "film" this year.

Hartslock nature reserve, a photo taken from Beale Park. Hartslock Nature reserve is one of two (only two!) public sites in the entire UK where one can find monkey orchids in late May or early June.