A nature walk in The Netherlands: Red-tailed bumblebee on Butterbur, Great tits, Willow tits and hundreds of Barnacle, Greylag and Egyptian geese.

 The historic town of Gorinchem sits by a great river protected by a rampart and dykes.  Above a Butterbur species was flowering on the bank last Friday, 1st April.

 A red-tailed bumblebee queen was foraging.  Click on any picture to enlarge it.

She was carrying a number of mites, which is a common phenomenon and apparently they are not feeding on her per se, rather hitching a lift to her new nest where they will live and feed. 

Some decades ago the bank and lock gates were raised a meter or so against high river levels.
On the meadows were an estimated thousand geese an this few miles walk along the riverside.

 Barnacle geese above.

 Greylag geese

 Just one of scores of Great-crested grebe on the river.

A steam tug by the lock in Gorinchem.