Colourful lichen

Yesterday was the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count in High River, south of Calgary. A small group of seven of us from Calgary met up with local people from High River to search the area in and around High River. We started our search at around 8:30 a.m. and returned to the meeting place around 5:00 p.m., when we handed in our results and stayed for a delicious potluck supper. Thanks so much to the local birders who organized this most enjoyable ending to a long day! Looking at the photo, you'd never guess that it was maybe -8C and the ground was covered in snow.

My small group drove all the backroads in the SE quadrant of the huge circle that surrounds High River, including calling in at several farms to ask if we could check their trees, hedges, etc. for birds. At one farm, I spotted with colourful Lichen deep in the hedgerow. Taken on 18 December 2012.