It's a Hairy.......

Hairy-footed flower bee that is !
The Hairy-footed flower bee Anthophora plumipes is probably my favourite of all the spring flying bees, they have such character, and are almost cuddly in a 'bee, sort of way.  They have a really loud buzz, and while they look like little Bumble bees, they are much mre energetic, moving frenetically from flower to flower stopping  only to hover for a second or two in between. The brownish males have a hairy middle leg which gives the species it's name, the females are all black with orangy-brown pollen baskets.
I managed to get a shot of this male having a little rest between visiting the Pumonaria flowers in my garden - planted just for them!