Waxwings, a blackcap and the Big Garden Birdwatch

I saw my first waxwings just over a week ago. The BTO newsletter said that there was a flock of around 150 in Milton Keynes - in a car park, of course. By the time I got there, a week last Friday (21st, I think) there were just a few. At first I cycled around the car park looking for this large flock, but then found the few that were there, moving in and out of the trees nearby to feed on the cotoneaster and berberis. Although there weren't many, they are truly beautiful birds - and unlike many of the bird you see in books, the real thing was not a disappointment. But I did get very very cold taking a detour in my cycle to work to see them and spent a bit of time letting my feet thaw out!

Then today I took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch. Nothing spectacular - blue, great and long tailed tits, blackbirds, a robin, housesparrow, wren and a dunnock. But I did see a blackcap which I have not seen before (I think I saw one last summer but it had gone before I could be sure and that was on the way to work). This one fooled me for a while as its head was a lovely chestnut brown, rather than black - but on searching through the book I saw that the female does indeed have a brown head.

We've had the bird feeding station in the garden for a few weeks now. I wonder if it is a little near to the house as the birds are reluctant to come, but they are gradually coming now. And the blackcap, which eats insects loved the baked potato pieces that were there. I wonder if she will also like the pieces of roast potato I have now put out.

I took some photos that did not come out too well - but seem to have lost or mislaid the connecting cable from the camera to the computer - so am a bit stuck until I find it or replace it