Lichen

 

A walk through the forest while there is a bit of sun, though it is still quite cold and windy. The lichen on this rock caught my eye as it looked interesting and not what I usually come across. 

I pass-by the toad spawn to see if there is any progress and it has certainly changed into something more ragged than the smooth strings of eggs posted a few days ago. I expect the tadpoles will emerge at the weekend as the weather is due to warm up at last, that's if the cold has not killed them off already.

Meanwhile I continue to ward off the woodpecker daily as it visits the great tits nest box frequently and it's a full time job keeping it at bay. The great tits continue feeding so there is still at least one chick still remaining and hopefully two. I just hope the woodpecker will eventually lose interest as I fear for the fledglings once they leave the nest.