Cumbria Wildlife Trust lino cut workshop

What an enjoyable and productive workshop we had this morning, introducing people to the delights of lino cutting. Everyone worked really hard and I really look forward to the next one! Several of these are going to be hand-coloured when they get home and are totally dry. 

Emperor Moths at Wedholme Flow

 A successful morning photographing emperor moths.

A pheromone lure was hung out briefly to attraact the moths. 

The cotton grass is just begining to come out.

Looking across Wedholme into the Lake District. 

Derwentwater delights

 With a glorious day, but windy on the tops we opted for a walk round Derwentwater - about 10 miles. Having been selling my paintings via Crafts of the North, in Keswick there is apparently a real demand for Catbells paintings, so it was a good opportunity to take photographs to work from. 

From Friars Crag.

Looking down the lake to Castle Crag - excellent air clarity.

Catbells and Dale Head.

Skiddaw.

The Millenium Stone.

The view looking more like Canada than  the Lakes. 

Marsh Marigold. 

Walla Crag.

Bog myrtle with Blancathra and Walla Crag. 

Great Borne and Starling Dodd

A good day out with friend Linda. We arrived early, being as it was Easter, but to be fair there was no one in Ennerdale at 9am. It was a different matter as we returned! We didn't bother with Herdus but instead followed Rake Beck up to the col between Herdus and Great Borne - which was a good scramble in places, before going up Great Borne. Some spectacular views into Buttermere and up Ennerdale. The wind was fresh, bit the day improved and typically was sunny and warm as we descended. We cut off the corner from just past Little Dodd across to the well marked path down from Red Pike. 

From the flank of Herdus looking up Ennerdale....

...and back down Ennerdale across Bowness Knot.

Great Borne.

Starling Dodd ...he was happier than he looks! 

Fom Great Borne to Starling Dodd.

Looking back down Ennerdale from Starling Dodd. 

Descending...

Good to see a river doing what a river should! 

Looking up Ennerdale towards Great Gable.

St Bees RSPB Reserve

A pleasant walk out - very warm - and good to see the guillemots and razorbills back on their rookeries. There were many, many birds on the water and it was interesting to see what appeared to be a 'bait ball' with hundreds of gulls feeding - no signs of any dolphins or porpoises though. Good to see black guillemots too, but the puffins evaded us! It was also good to see a pair of eider ducks - I've never seen them at St Bees before and to hear the kittiwakes. I only took a few photos as my battery was low and  then managed to delete them in the process of transfering them over ...having said that there really is no difference from last year - so here are a few photos ...from last year! Oh and we heard our first willow warblers too....

Caldbeck to Hesket Newmarket

Well it's that time of year again - time to do the riverside walk and check on the spring flowers....and butterflies..

Wood anemones - not quite at their best yet. 

Prinroses with a bee fly. 

An early bluebell.

Speckled wood. 

Comma.

Toothwort.

Toothwort.

Dipper.

Sale Fell

 What a lovely little fell this is....

Looking across towards Binsey.

Ridge and furrow ...evidence of past ploughing - quite high up really.

Swaledale.

Atmospheric! 

Across to Skiddaw - not a bad panorama! 

Llanelli WWT

 A wet day was forecast so headed off to Llanelli WWT reserve. After an initial torrential downpour, the day cleared out and was very enjoyable. It's a large reserve and we could have spent longer there. The new Welsh Water hide is amazing - I could live in it! Highlights were the spoonbills, doing what spoonbills do - spooninng, and the sheer number of black-tailed godwits. 

Across the marsh.

View from the Wesh Water hide. 

Spoonbills.

Black-tailed godwits.

Tufted duck.

Pochard and tufted duck.

Little grebe, lapwing, shoveller and pintail.

Male gadwall.

...and a cheeky monkey!