Amongst the Bluebells

At long last,  we manage a trip to see the red squirrels at The Dingle in Anglesey. It’s our day to visit G’s mum, and  G has the job of defrosting her freezer - so while that’s taking place we go over to Llangefni for a couple of hours. 

We’ve never been here in bluebell season, and the woods are gloriously decked in blue.  It’s wonderful to walk in spring warmth after so many chilly days, and even  without seeing squirrels,  the sunshine and birdsong lift the spirit. But of course, it’s the reds we’ve come to see and sightings are both very brief and distant. 

But then we come across our old friend, Hugh, who’s just setting out some hazelnuts, and the reds come from all directions.  Hugh and Will ‘share’ the role is Squirrel Whisperers here in The Dingle - both spending huge amounts of time (and, I suspect, money) ensuring the welfare of the squirrels. Currently, the big fear is that greys have crossed the water to the island, so there’s a constant look out for these infiltrators. 

I wish I’d brought my 600mm lens, but I’ve left it in the car, convinced that as on previous visits, my 200mm will be enough. On previous visits, we’ve been able to almost sit amongst the squirrels, but today we stand with a small group of other photographers taking shots from the path. Hence my shots are more distant than I’d like, but I’m so thrilled to catch these beauties in the bluebells. 

Inevitably, I can’t stick to just one shot, so there’s a set of squirrels in the bluebells. You’ll notice some appear to have patches of grey in their coats - it’s their winter coat still moulting to reveal their summer red.