This week we hear from Alasdair McKee who tells of the sights and sounds you will be encountering in Cumbria this spring.

If you go down to the woods today there are plenty of surprises in store. It may seem odd to visit woodlands when the trees may still be looking a bit bare. But don’t be fooled. April is one of the liveliest times in our woods with a wealth of wildlife to be seen.

The lack of leaves makes it easy to spot the many small birds that flit around the branches. Tiny warblers have returned from Africa and are tuning up their distinctive songs. The first back is usually the chiffchaff which name-checks itself as it calls “chiff-chaff” repeatedly with the same two notes.

The blackcap has more sophisticated musical tastes with a rich, complex song that earned it the nickname “Northern nightingale". But it’s not immune to the obvious naming regime: yes, it has a black cap.

Completing the trio of common warbler is the willow warbler. Just to make life difficult, it is indistinguishable from the chiffchaff until it opens its beak. Then it warbles a slowly descending cadence that covers an octave and was once called “as soft as summer rain". The author of that remark might not have experienced Cumbrian summer rain, but you get the idea.

Summer visitors aren’t the only birds that are busy. Residents like the blue tit are bobbing about, picking at buds and pecking at bark. Treecreepers, brown and mouse-like, crawl up the trunks then fly down to the next tree to crawl up again.

Nuthatches, like miniature woodpeckers, let out their loud, whooping call. They crawl up trees too, but can also crawl back down again, head first. Blackbirds, robins and thrushes are singing as they try to claim the best nesting territory.

It’s not just up in the canopy that the woods are coming alive. The bare branches give spring flowers the chance to bask in the sun. White wood anemones appear, along with pungent wild garlic. Primroses and celandine add an eye-catching splash of yellow. Violets are more retiring, with subtle purple hues. Then, as the end of April approaches, the bluebells begin to turn the woodland floor into a reflection of the clear spring sky.

There’s movement on the ground too. Voles and mice are out and about. Hedgehogs are waking up from their hibernation. Frogs and toads are looking for ponds and partners. The first butterflies are waking up and stretching their wings as bumble bees buzz by. Yes, it’s all happening in the woods today. Check the Cumbria Wildlife Trust website for woodland walks and events or just visit your local woods. You could even take a picnic. And a teddy bear.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is the only voluntary organisation devoted solely to the conservation of the wildlife and wild places of Cumbria. The Trust stands up for wildlife, creates wildlife havens, and seeks to raise environmental awareness.

Formed in 1962 and supported by thousands of members and supporters, the Trust cares for 38 nature reserves, campaigns for the protection of endangered habitats and species such as limestone pavements and red squirrels, and works with adults and children to discover the importance of the natural world.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is part of a partnership of 46 local Wildlife Trusts across the UK.