Waxwings!!!!

Had a great day out in TQ1960 today - no rain, no snow, not cold, not too many people out there. Sweet. Undoubted highlight (for me) was finally adding Waxwing to my Patch List. It's taken over 26 years and typically I was under tree cover, so only heard them trilling low overhead. But thats a blank box filled with a tick on my BUBOListing Patch List so I'm happy.

Various logs were rolled, bits of loose bark peeled and tussocks peered into. I even did a spot of sweep-netting (which was a waste of time) for the first time this year.

As is the nature of this Challenge, I explored a dense area of wet woodland that I ordinarily bypass. Pretty much a quagmire and tricky to push through the low branches and bramble patches but worth it as I discovered a patch of Betony (previously unknown in this square) and 15 Scarlet Elf Caps which were lifers for me. Cool!!

A bit more moss was tried under the microscope. Most was put aside for another night but Cirriphyllum piliferum was a new one for me whilst Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus was new for the year.

Additions today were:

263 - Birch Shieldbug - 2 under logs on Epsom Common
264 - Waxwing - 2 or 3 HEARD ONLY over Epsom Common
265 - Slender St John's-wort - Epsom Common
266 - Gorse Seed Weevil Exapion ulicis - several beaten from Gorse, Epsom Common
267 - Horse Chestnut - sapling growing near Wells Road, Epsom Common
268 - Ground Ivy - Epsom Common
269 - Honeysuckle Whitefly Aleyrodes lonicerae - nymph on Honeysuckle, Epsom Common
270 - Betony - patch on Epsom Common
271 - SCARLET ELF CUP - clusters near Blake's Pond, Epsom Common (LIFER)
272 - Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1 overhead, Epsom Common
273 - Variable-leaved Crestwort Lophocolea heterophylla - Epsom Common
274 - Springy Turf-moss Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus - Epsom Common
275 - HAIR-POINTED FEATHER MOSS Cirriphyllum piliferum - Epsom Common (LIFER)

Also got a couple of spiders, a few Carabids, millipedes, a couple of slugs and some b*stard-hard mosses still awaiting identifications.