Bradshaw - Percy Road - Ogden - Soil Hill - Bradshaw

What a difference a BIG hill makes!

Going: Pleasantly cool at home - Flipping cold on Percy Road.

Coming Back: Very pleasant at Ogden - Very strong cold ENE Soil Hill. Pleasantly warm Bradshaw.

That concludes todays local weather forecast and may your shadow never grow less - ok well at night it can.

.........

An enjoyable trek Up Taylor Lane, along Percy Road (missed out the hill going) ...

down Ned Hill Road ( a nice natter with Mr. H in his 'new' RLNI flying machine)..

One lap of Ogden Water ( another natter, with NK looking very bronzed from his jollies)..

Back over the cold and windy hill.

.....

Some birds did make an appearance but no ticks today alas.

Local Fields after tea was freezing in this strong wind up here - nothing new either,

Birds:-

5 Greenfinch. 

2 Partridge sp. flushed immediately from Taylor Lane.

1 Red Legged Partridge in the same field higher up.

8 Fieldfare in fields were 'augumented' by a fly over of c30 Fieldfare.

I reckon the 8 were part of this bunch!

Lesser Black-backed Gull over.

Chaffinch. 

Green Woodpecker called as I was chatting with Mr. H.

4 Skylark. 5 Meadow Pipit.

Bullfinch. 4 Chiffchaff.

Pied Wagtail. Goldfinch.

4 Mallard in flight over Ned Hill Road,.

Ogden Water....

2 Goosander. 2 Tufted Duck.

1 Whooper Swan. 

Coal Tit. Wren. Goldfinch. 

1 Lesser Black-backed Gull. 1 Black Headed Gull at one point..

a few other Gulls came and went but not many.

4 Linnet ( 2 Ned Hill Track & 2 Taylor Lane).o

Garden / Bradshaw - Soil Hill Walk

A deceptively warm looking day was nothing of the sort , out of the sun and in this strong, cold north / north easterly wind - it was cool.

I had a garden sit about this morning and late morning I had a Walk up Taylor Lane & Soil Hill keeping to the main paths.

The north easterly wind killed the job really.

I came home the same route (walking backwards).

The garden watch had two Buzzards together a.m. and presumably the same two birds were seen twice in the afternoon.

No local fields visit today with a plumber paying us a visit or is it the other way round?

Birds:-

Garden:

2 (4 or 6) Buzzard.

Greenfinch.

Mistle Thrush singing.

Green Woodpecker calling from afar.

Soil Hill Walk.

Chaffinch.

Kestrel.

5 Skylark.

2 Pied Wagtail.

2 Curlew (heard).

3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

8 Meadow Pipit (probably lots more).

1 Stock Dove.

3 Pheasant.

1 Linnet.

Buzzards;-

Garden:-

Garden:

Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Soil Hill:

Meadow Pipit Above with silver leg ring.

Cromwell Bottom and Bradshaw Fields

I had a fairly quick birding walk along the canal and a bit of the river at Cromwell Bottom mid-afternoon.

Very cloudy at home this a.m. brighter at Cromwell and it became quite warm as the walk progressed. Dull/ Cloudy back home later on.

The usual species on offer for me today but with two singing Blackcap that remained unseen (not like my previous one!).

Mostly Large Gulls on the ski-lake.

Buzzards were airborne in the blue sky with 4 separate sightings - don't know how many Buzzard though.

After tea I had my usual bog-hop across the Bradshaw Fields and a flying Bat late on was a nice surprise but difficult to photograph.

Weather was cool and dull here this evening.

Birds:-

Garden (a.m.).

Buzzard distant over Oats Royd. 

Large Gull - probably Lesser Black-backed Gull.

11 birds in flight - just caught the back end of them - probably Woodpigeon.

Cromwell Bottom:

4 Buzzard sightings.

2 Blackcap.

2 Heron.

Grey Wagtail.

Chiffchaffs singing throughout.

A Green Woodpecker called often from woods opposite the ski-lake.

4 Canada Goose. Moorhen. 
Coot. Little Grebe.

A Red Headed Goosander flew up river from the newly fenced weir area.

c10 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

3 Herring Gull.

Bradshaw Fields.

2 Green Woodpecker opposite one another in a tree.

2 Chaffinch. 2 Greenfinch.

Red Legged Partridge.

A Mistle Thrush sang throughout.

Curlew.

Long Tailed Tit.

Pied Wagtail.

c35 Fieldfare in a tree.

and a few other common species.

BAT.

Garden (a.m.).

Woodpigeon?

Cromwell Bottom:

Buzzards:-

Bradshaw Fields.

The Widdop Wallop

Caught out by the weather, big style, this morning.

We had a visit to make to pick something up from Skipton this morning.

I had mentioned, earlier in the week, that I fancied a look at  the Widdop and Gorple areas sometime.

This is an area I seldom visit with it being a long drive from home.

Sue decided that we could do both the Skipton visit and the Widdop visit in one go.

After visiting the shop in Skipton early on we drove along the very scenic route to go through Foulridge and  Colne to pick up the 'one car road' that eventually leads to Widdop Reservoir - this route is not for the faint hearted. 

Anyway when we parked up at the roadside car park the wind was so strong that it was pinging bits of car park against the car.

I got out of the car , and after half a mo , decided to abandon this walk because of the wind's strenght.

We drove on to the small-pull in 300 odd yards from the Ex-Pack Horse Inn.

Here again the wind was strong and the planned walk around to  Gorple was also abandoned.

I just had a short saunter along the paved path to the first bend (where Lapwings and Gulls were struggling to fight one another) and back again, before we headed home.

A great pity this, because in my mind's eye I had lined up enumerable lifers to be seen here! 

The drive to Hebden Bridge had a few birds on offer.

Late evening the local fields did not reveal much either - boo-hoo hoo.

Birds:-

Widdop etc.

5 Lapwing.

1 Meadow Pipit.

2 Mallard.

3 Ducks in flight that I cannot ID for certain - look very Mallard-esque! 

3 Golden Plover.

A few Gulls.

Garden:

Buzzard.

Large Distant Gull - Probably a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Local Fields.

3 Pheasant. 3 Red Legged Partridge. Curlew calling from afar(not seen).

Heron. 3 Meadow Pipit.

Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Starling. Wren, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow. Magpie.

Woodpigeon. Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Fox.

Widdop etc:

Garden:

Local Fields.

Ringstone Reservoir Near Gale (but a nice surprise)

We had a 'new baby' visit to Beth's at  Cotton Stones mid-morning and we had a very enjoyable couple of hours there.

On or way 'home' we had two very important journeys to make.

1. Call at Barkisland Post Office for one of there delicious warm pies for lunch.

2. Call at Ringstone Reservoir and get me 'ead blown off with a cold nosy about while Sue relaxed in the car reading her Kindle.

Both these were achieved with aplomb.

The near gale at Ringstone was creating whitecaps for the waves to wear but what birds were on there seemed not too bothered.

A pair of Ducks that  looked Black & White from distance turned into 2 Shelduck - a scarce bird for me in Calderdale and a 1st this year.

Also a 1st this year was a Great Crested Grebe that spent a lot of the time sleeping.

Later on I had my usual walk up the local fields where noting new was on offer.

Here again it was a windy, cold outing.

Birds:-

Ringstone Reservoir.

2 Shelduck.

2 Oystercatcher.

2 Bullfinch.

Great Crested Grebe.

Just 2 Lapwing seen but I did not do a lot of looking!

C180  Golden Plover.

Bradshaw Fields:

2 Stock Dove. Pheasant. c30 Meadow Pipit.

c15 Herring Gull.

3 Curlew.

The odd Gull airborne.

A Song Thrush was in the Cottonstones Garden with a Moorhen, Mallard  and a couple of Canada Geese in the fields near a pond.

Ringstone Reservoir.

Bradshaw Fields: