Waxwing?

No, a singing robin. I was on a waxwing hunt around Abbot Hall in Kendal, from where they had been seen a few days ago. But like my Kendal otter hunts, this was one was fruitless, and there were no otters on the river either.

Oh well, the male robin singing sweetly amongst the last of the autumn horse chestnut leaves made up for it. When just about every other bird has given up singing for the season, the robins keep going through the cold days of autumn and winter. This was about as much colour as was on offer on another grey day.

As for waxwings, good numbers have been reported turning up from Scandinavia. But how long will they stay? This year is a bad year for berries with us, the blackbirds stripped the rowans of their fruit months ago, and the only berries I saw today were a few on the hollies. Even the guelder rose in the car park at work which has had fruit every year I can remember, is fruitless this year.

If anyone is wondering where the 730 blipday is, I did it as a backblip here.