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News has just come in that observers from spotted - second only to the blue whale in size - in Welsh waters only last week. Indeed, what's unusual about this story is not that the whales were there - it's that they were there at this time of year.

In the summer months, it's not unusual to see them there at all. That the world's second largest animal is hanging out up the road is a pretty good rebuff to all the naysayers about UK wildlife, those that think you have to go on safari, to the South Pole, to a sweaty South American jungle to be a rubber-stamped wildlife watcher.

Okay, so we don't have insects the size of your forearm, man-eating cats or 10 metre long snakes (thank heavens) but there's enough cool, exciting, rare, mysterious critters here in the UK to keep anyone happy for a lifetime.

For starters, the fin whale is just one of an impressive selection of marine life you can spot in our waters. For example, a very rare only last year. (Our guide has all the species and the best places to see them... it's an extensive list.)

The purple gallinule found in Devon (copyright Julia Harris DBWPS Assistant County Recorder)

Then there's the birds. The rarities are invariably ones who end up here by mistake. But they never cease to amaze. What about this news from the BTO and the RSPB? . If that sounds exotic, it is. A waterbird which breeds from southern USA to northern Argentina, it's only the third time it's ever been seen in Britain. Sadly, by the time it was found it was dead, possibly from exhaustion brought on by the cold weather.

Dusky thrush (copyright NIMSoffice)

Or the , a bird which normally winters in the Far East. Only the ninth sighting on these shores. And amongst the wintering flock of taiga bean geese at Cantley Marshes in Norfolk, you might just be able to make out a .

Finally, if giants of the deep or birds thousands of miles off course aren't enough, there's always the chance that you could discover something completely new to science right on your doorstep.

Just like the micro moth from Devon which just last year was . In its own special way, every bit as exciting as any bird-eating mollusc from Papua New Guinea.

But over to you, the experts. What have you spotted? What amazes you about our wildlife? Most of all, what are your tips for convincing people they don't have to travel halfway round the world to see the best that nature has to offer?