Waxwing? Or not...

 Languishing upstairs on Saturday morning I was rallied by a call of "I think there's a Waxwing in the trees!" Scrambling to get downstairs, just in time for, "Oh! It's gone." Leaving me to wonder if it was one or not. Apples were rapidly deployed, the Blackbirds and Starlings had scoffed the ones that had been out mid-week, and I patrolled the garden for a while but no joy.

A bit of a slow day. The Brambling was still present along with more than twenty Chaffinch, a product of throwing some food on the ground under the bushes and trees.

Brambling.

The camera trap was deployed to maintain Waxwing surveillence, to now avail.

There had been a sprinkling of snow overnight but late Saturday afternoon and early evening a fair old bit came down.

Unusual here in recent years.

Sunday morning and the variety of birds in the garden was increased, four Goldfinch on the feeders were joined by four Lesser Redpoll. Three Whooper Swans made a low pass over the garden and my head, I was a bit slow with the camera. A Woodpigeon, four Snipe, and at dusk a Song Thrush.

Through the (dirty) kitchen window pix of Lesser Redpoll.

I photographed lichens and fungi on our walk. I'll try to identify all of those before I post them, a bit of a struggle as I'm not very good at that. For the first time for a while no Winter Moths or Green Cellar Slugs were found by torchlight search. One of the cats brought in an Orkney Vole, unfortunately.

Sunday night I put the camera trap out  where I thought a different mammal might be recorded. Total recording - Golden Retriever x2; annoying humans x1; Robin x 1 or 2, still feeding at 17:40, when it was dark; Brown Hare x1 or maybe as many as 3.

Blink and you'll miss it.

A more leisurely visit.

I do know this one, Xanthoria parietina. I'll post some more later.