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But why me, you may ask? And the answer is simple: the Mole, like you, has never been behind the scenes at Springwatch before, so my senses have not been dulled by overfamiliarity. With that in mind, I'm hoping I can be your eyes, ears, and nose, throwing myself into the fray and returning from the front line with stories that will stimulate, amuse, and enlighten - with any luck, all at the same time.

One thing I won't be doing, however, is talking too much about the wildlife itself. That's what the rest of this website is for. So if you'd like to discuss the wildlife touched on in this series then feel free to look at the In Depth section or Meet The Animals pages of this website. And while you're there please feel free to throw your thoughts, photos, and stories into the mix. No matter what your level of expertise, your contributions matter.

But don't forget to come back here. I'll be blogging most days and on those days I'll probably be posting a number of times, so don't go away for long!

Another thing I won't be doing with this blog is trying to explain the minutiae of how the series is actually made. As I have just heard the director of the whole series, , declare that "TV is a magic art" I think I may be slightly out of my depth...

So, that's me. But who are you? I know you are Springwatch enthusiasts, but what, given the choice, would you call yourselves? Are you Springwatchers? Springers? Springheads? Springsters? Or even Springsteens? How would you like to be addressed? Let me know by posting your comments below. But whatever the answer is, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you.

Before I go though I would like to share one thing with you. As I set off from the hotel this morning, for my very first drive to Pensthorpe, I was thrilled to see a beautiful white floating in the clear blue sky, maybe twenty feet above the verge. Now I'm not usually superstitious but I can't help thinking that this is a great omen for Springwatch 2009! Unless of course you tell me otherwise...