Bradshaw - Soil Hill etc

A cold icy day again today but bright and sunny for a lot of it.

I had a visit to make to B&Q this morning to get some G9 led lights.

It might be me but I find that there so many different light bulbs nowadays - they are really confusing and expensive. I had a cupboard full of all sorts of them but you can be sure that the one that fails isn't in the cupboard , when you look for it in the first place, but somehow, miraculously, they turn up just after you've bought some more.

Anyway at least I got to see the Peregrine down there.

This afternoon I had a walk up Taylor Lane, over Soil Hill Summit, down Ned Hill Road and through the farms to home.

Nothing on the deck on Soil Hill summit and just 2 Common Gulls flew past as I was eyeballing the tundra hoping for a S.B. or L.B.

It was pleasing to see 7 Meadow Pipits on the west sloping fields as I left the hill - they were very very flighty.

It looks like I'll wake up to a garden full of snow tomorrow - hopefully it will melt before teatime.

Birds:-

Peregrine Falcon - Dean Clough Chimney.

2 Raven.

Heron.

7 Meadow Pipit.

2 Stock Dove.

Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch.

Kestrel.

3 Starling.

Little Owl.

Plus a few others.

Soil Hill Summit.

Taylor Lane.

Bradshaw - Ogden Water (Saved by the Alarm).

I was busy, busy, busy this morning sticking bedding into the big white box with a port hole that sits looking menacingly at me in the kitchen.

Using this big box makes the washing a wee doddle.

The dashing away with the soothing iron afterwards though, well, it's just impossible.

CLICK - dashing away with the soothing iron

Especially that big white thing with a rubber band around it's edge - who designed that?

I now know why its called a fitted sheet - you can't iron the thing without having a hissy fit.

Anyway, after lunch I walked over the fields to Ogden Water.

Looking from the promenade, I could see 8  Tufted Ducks, way off on the north east end of the water (and nowt else)  so I decided to walk around to see if I could get a photo.

The circuit path was well dodgy sending me into the woods to walk against the wall path,  or as near as I could, so I could still observe the barren water!

Real good exercise this is, with not much path at times. 

When I got to the north, east end there were now 6 Tufties and they  had moved into the middle so the photos are not great.

Then ..... just as I was bout to get my 1st 2026 lifer , my telling bone rang.

A man asked if my alarm maintenance, which was due in 2 weeks, could be done this afternoon - in half an hour from now!

I tried to explain that my lifer was imminent but in the end I softened and legged it home.

I arrived 10 mins before Mr. A. Larm so I could probably have got that lifer after all.

With all this guff - you guessed it - not many birds.

Birds:-

Buzzard.

Kestrel.

c25 Gulls at one point.

8 Tufted Duck.

2 Pheasant.

2 Stock Dove.

A small flock of Goldfinch and Chaffinch along the farm track.

Cromwell Bottom N.R.

Still freezing in Bradshaw but nowhere near as icy as yesterday.

I had a run down to Cromwell Bottom N.R. -  Brighouse - always a good place to top up the yearly birding list when Bradshaw is frozen.

Zero degree at Cromwell, warmed up to a balmy 2 degrees later, bit icy but not too bad if you keep to the paths.

The feeders were very busy with their regular visitors and the ski lake had a good selection of birds also.

I managed a few 'iffy' Goldeneye photos before the birds vamoosed out of sight to the NE corner.

I called at the visitors centre cafe for a piece of their excellent fruit cake and coffee for my 'elevenses'. Good to see it open on such a cold day, especially following the burst pipes earlier in the week.

Redwing and Blackbird were very active, flitting about the canal side trees as I left the fishing ponds to walk to the ski lake.

Difficult to get any accurate numbers really.

Fieldfare were a bit easier to count (providing I had not missed lots!).

Nothing much to speak of on the river really today.

An enjoyable outing augmented by a visit to Aldi on the way home.

I spoiled myself - no  read it again - spoiled myself - there's a "P" in the word as opposed to a "Pee" in the word at Aldi with three Jamaican Pasty's for the freezer.

These are great with that Mint and Yoghurt sauce stuff.

Birds:-

4 Coot.

c20 Redwing.

Collard Dove.

Mute Swan.

4 Cormorant.

6 Goldeneye (4 Males).

2 Heron.

5 Fieldfare.

c20 Blackbird

8 Tufted Duck.

5 Moorhen.

Canada Goose.

7 Goosander (2 "Black and White" ones).

Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Long Tailed Tit. Dunnock. Goldfinch.

Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Wren, Robin, Mallard, Magpie, Crow. Jackdaw.

Common Gull, Black Headed Gull. Woodpigeon.

Common Gull.

(Above and Below).

Ice Ring and I Shrink

It was a well dodgy Ice Rink outside my house this morning with a thick covering of ice on the path, drive and walls.

I was going to drive down to Cromwell Bottom but it was still very icy at 12:30 so, I shrink from that idea.

I then thought I'd walk over to Ogden but thinking of the, probably, well dodgy icy circuit there, I shrink from that as well.

In the end I headed off across the fields up Ned Hill Road, across Soil Hill summit and home via Taylor Lane.

The fields were quite pleasant in the sunshine but Soil Hill summit was tundra-esque and the wind was a real chiller.

Coming down Taylor Lane was also a dog bag with bottle ice over it so I had resort to walking in the overgrowth at the side of the lane.

Still it is always good to get the boots on.

Birds:-

I did not expect a lot , and not a lot, is what I got.

1 Starling flew past the kitchen window.

Common Gull.

Black Headed Gull.

Buzzard.

Kestrel.

3 Stock Dove.

and a few other regulars.

Taylor Lane.

Looking towards 3 peaks from Soil Hill summit.

Soil Hill Summit.

Soil Hill Main Track.

Local Traipse Last Couple of Days

Monday and the dreaded white stuff has arrived and although there is not much of it I'm obliged to shift it because of the camber on my drive, and I had a tradesman coming today as well.

I did get out yesterday afternoon, walking through the snowfields to Ned Hill Road and back.

This morning  found me fighting bureaucracy - between solicitors and a government department - that will be another few ££££ onto the bill - thank-you very much.

After sending a few e-mails I decided it was a day to tidy up a bit and I spent the rest of the morning vaccing about. 

I did get out in the afternoon, walking down through Bradshaw Park , through St. John's Farm and back.

I had a scan for Dave B's Pinkies seen by him over town this morning but the misty grot got in the way.

Birds:-

My meagre yearly list ticks over.... an astounding 42 species.

On days like this you don't think you have seen much, but when you actually look at your notes you have actually seen quite a few common species.

Lapwing.

Stock Dove.

Blue Tit.

Great Tit.

Magpie.

Jackdaw.

Carrion Crow.

Dunnock.

Wren.

Woodpigeon.

Goldfinch.

Chaffinch.

Robin.

Black Headed Gull

Common Gull.

Herring Gull.

Pheasant.

Starling.

Greenfinch.

Feral Pigeon.

A Cat ?

1st Winter Common Gull.

Sunday - Another beautiful crisp sunny day

This very cold crisp sunny weather continued today and I had yet another walk over to a partially frozen Ogden Water, and back, via the fields and farms.

Lots of cars delivering Christmas Trees and plenty of families out walking and feeding the Mallards.

The Mallards are in for a shock diet, come Monday, when the kids go back to school.

It was a pity to see the vandalism caused by some "people" in one or two of the fairly new refurbished toilets.

I did my usual 2 circuits of the water but the birding gods were not as kind to me as they were yesterday.

Some snow? approaching from the west tonight, might just miss us I hope.

Birds:-

2 Kingfisher.

Green Woodpecker.

7 Tufted Duck.

House Sparrow.

Little Owl.

Pheasant.

Goldcrest.

Pied Wagtail.

4 Stock Dove.

1 Lapwing.

Usual Gull species.