After a busy day out and about, Sue dropped me at Ogden late afternoon.
With just over an hour of daylight left I did not expect to see a lot, but I was not too disappointed with the walkabout.
Small Gulls were on Ogden Water.
A sloppy trek in the slush (later to start to freeze) around the circuit, 'revealed' a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker (not seen).
A few calling Chaffinch heard and a Blackbird was in in usual evening roost on the north east side.
A Kingfisher was perched on a branch over the water along passerine alley.
As soon as I lifted the camera I spooked it and it flew across the water to the west side.
A Raptor made a quick flyby as I set off for home along Ogden Lane, a Kestrel most probably - difficult to tell in the fast approaching dusk and the colours are most probably distorted with the low evening sunset.
Not a lot about as I trekked along Syke Lane and up the hairpin bend to Percy Road.
Taylor Lane was awful, with black ice everwhere, I had to resort to walking in the gutter to stop from falling over.
The Gutter word reminds me of an evening, long ago, at The Stump Cross Inn, Shibden,when a boxer had won the Longsdale Belt in a fight in London(?).
We all had had a few Sherbert Lemons and we were ready for home when the boxer came into the pub at 11 pm with Trevor Callaghan (The Landlord and boxing promoter).
Trevor cracked open the champagne and we all duly imbibed to celebrate the win.
I lived in a flat on Clare Road at the time, and somehow managed to walk home (via the gutter a few times) at 3am.
The following day does not exist in my memory.
The Bradshaw Little Owl was sat in the dark on a wall.
No doubt seeing me a lot better that I was seen it!
The camera did well to pluck it out of the distant gloom.
Taylor Lane
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