Set out in the dark this morning, 15 minutes into ride its beginning to get lighter as I roll through the woods along the riverbank. The river is shrouded by a thin veil of rising mist and the birdsong all around me was just incredible; seemed much more intense than usual, perhaps I happened to be passing through at just the right moment.

Thought I’d share 🙂

[for the commuting technically minded: Dean Torreys bike on 700×32 Grand Prix, Old Man Mountain rear rack, Exposure front light, Cateye and Smart rear lights; 10 mile commute each way – 6 miles off-road cycle path, 3 miles quiet unclassified lanes, 1 mile country B road]

aahhhh……the countryside!

Ahh … that makes me smile – great way to start the day.

My commute was 15 miles on the virtually traffic-free back lanes through Snowdonia – misty valley views on one side, snow-clad mountains on the other, and the blue of the sea out to Anglesey 🙂 Crisp chill air and blue skies, the first lambs of the year in the low fields …

erm … I’m not really technically minded, so details are – rather old Cannondale hardtail with semi-slicks – does the job.

Yes, I noticed that today, the birds were going mad with song for some reason this morning along the canal path I ride to work.

we have been trying to attract birds into our garden this year, we have no trees and either side of us have stalking cats.

Put up loads of high bird feeders, with a mixture of offerings, took 4 weeks before we had our first visitor, my kids have been keeping tabs as to what birds brave it.

First long tail tit this week, got a bit dwarfed by my Mum calling us & saying they had just seen an Eagle in there garden!

😉

Sue, with a commute like that I don’t think I’d want to end up at work!

ski, when the long-tailed tits come to our ‘feeding station’ they seem to come in a group of 9 or 10! No eagles here, just sparrow hawks and plenty of buzzards. Bird feeders are well sheltered though and attract mostly blue tits, great tits, marsh tits, nuthatches, and a pair of lesser-spotted woodpeckers. Sparrows, robin, and blackbirds join the mice feeding on the ground!

My commute was 15 miles on the virtually traffic-free back lanes through Snowdonia – misty valley views

That sounds like a dream commute you have there Sue 😉

My commute’s a rubbish cycle, but quite a nice walk, and yep, birds have been going bonkers recently.

I reckon all commutes sound good when the sun is out and the birds are singing 🙂

It was rather splendid today – and I must admit I’m a ‘scenery / wildlife’ fan rather than a ‘knarly technical trail’ kinda rider (I ground to a halt for ages on the Marin Trail last weekend to watch a round fluffy shrew right next to the trail – it was the highlight of my ride!)

Having said that – this being North Wales, most of the time it is blowing a gale with sideways lashing rain 🙁 Just makes days like today even more special …

yeh nice commute this morning, I could actually ride without lights this morning (on the cycle path) which game me joy in my heart.

I had 5 miles of drizzle followed by 4 miles of wet, claggy hampshire bridleway on a SS. Had to de-robe in the bike shed!

Your not sharing your showing off.

Lucky bugger. 😛

Show Off*

*Not the bike or the ride, the fact you’ve a job 🙂

i ride past a park every morning, one day back in december it was misty and the sun was just catching it through the trees, looked amazing. from that day on i’ve taken my compact camera with me every day in the hope of getting it like that again, but it never has 🙁

typical.

still, worth riding every day for many reasons, one of them being the odd such occasion.

He, he. Show off? Yeah 😉 Tried city life many years ago which was great at the time but I’m happy to be a country bumpkin rolling along at a slower pace of life these days 🙂

Sheldon, I’ll have to catch up on news / chat soon!

When you start hearing the birds singing at dawn, thats usually a good sign that spring isnt too far away.
Please god let it be true!