Spring life

A few images from today.

Near our caravan lodge, the first willow warblers I have seen and heard this year. The song is one of the sounds of the season into summer. A nuthatch singing and calling at the top of a tree - their voices really do carry. And a pond skater - plenty of them around, they have all emerged from hibernation at once.

In the afternoon we visited the Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s small reserve at Barkbooth Lot. Small but satisfying. There are lots of toppled big trees, victims of the winter storms. The woodland floor is mainly carpeted with bluebells, which are starting to flower. And where it is not, it is carpeted with bilberry. Standing amongst that we listened to all the bees, feasting on the nectar from the little bilberry flowers. Trying to photo a bee at bilberry level was nearly impossible. Nearly.