Unfurling

J’s sister is up for a couple of days, which allowed me an opportunity to take an hour out for a walk around Risley Moss. My first walk in over a week.

It was good to see signs of Spring. The blackthorn is out in flower, as are coltsfoot and dandelion. A female blackbird was busy collecting mud on the path in front of me, I guess to line her nest. I watched a great spotted woodpecker drumming on a rotten tree trunk, and tried to take a photograph without success. Birds were singing - including the first blackcap I have heard this year.

I took a few pics with my camera, it’s first use in a little while. Leaves are unfurling, gradually turning the bushes and trees green. There is still a long way to go. I think this may be an elder - that green cluster at the centre will expand and whiten as Spring progresses.