Spring is sprung....

With many days of self-isolation ahead the arrival of blue skies and constant sunshine is a real bonus. I used my daily exercise allowance yesterday to enjoy a trip to our wood. I am not sure the drive there is strictly a necessary one except that I was planning to bring back a load of logs to share out with neighbours and have some for our own use.

It was fabulous over there. I met no-one, kept my own company and the dearth of air and road traffic made it even quieter than usual. The hot sun has brought out the early spring flowers with Primroses putting on their usual brilliant display along one of our tracks. On a very sunny verge just outside the wood, Wood Anenomes  and Celandines were in full flower, which seems very early. Inside the wood the honey bees in our apiarist's hive were very active and bringing back lots of yellow pollen, presumably for those same Primroses. An early emergent insect to spot is the Dark-edged Bee Fly (Bombylius major). There were several about along the track....curious insects with hairy brown bodies,  long feeding tubes and very spindly legs. They must time their emergence to get to the first spring flowers as they are harder to find as the year progresses.

A couple of Chiffchaffs were calling as I enjoyed the sun with three buzzards displaying high in the blue sky. A party of Fieldfares passed overhead at one point. These are winter visitors and I guess they were heading back to Scandinavia.

Bombylius major in action

Lodden Lillies are still in flower after several weeks

My tawny owl box -- I think it may have an owl in it (watch this space!)