The wind is whipping up white horses on our lakes and waves are crashing onto the shores - not ideal for spotting waterbirds. In fact, it was so rough that many birds had got out of the water and were sitting on the grassy banks on the sheltered sides this morning.
My eye was caught by tree colours today, highlighted by the bright blue sky behind them. The most colourful were some of the tallest old willows – last year’s twiggy growth is now orange. Glowing in the sun, the twigs are quite stunning against sky blue.
The other trees to catch my attention were the silver birches at the busway end of Swavesey Lake, their smooth white bark shining in the sun. Their twigs are maroon in colour, and seem to form a halo around the white trunk and branches.
At lower levels, the hazel catkins are standing out against bare trunks and branches, while a closer look at alder trees will reveal their purple catkins are forming too. Leaf buds are forming on many trees, confirmation that the days are getting longer and warmer, and spring is creeping closer.