Local Fields a.m./ Christmas Outing

I enjoyed a short walk along the local fields and through the farms to Ned Hill Lane and back this morning.

Bright and pleasant but quite cold.

We used to enjoy a Christmas walk from home over to Haworth via Ogden and Oxenhope -and then call somewhere for a Christmas Meal -  those days are gone!

Today we caught the bus to Cross Roads and walked down and UP! to Haworth.

First port of call for a meal was The Fleece but they were fully booked!

Next up was the Black Bull, very friendly, but no festive scran on the menu.

On again to The Sun which was packed, but we did get a very pleasant table in the conservatory.

Some mulled wine and the main course Christmas Meal was excellent.

A real belly buster that with some perseverance I managed to put away bar a half ball of stuffing.

We walked back up to Cross Roads and caught the 15:07 bus back to Bradshaw Church and walked home.

Sill light, just, as we got in home.

An enjoyable day.

Quiz:-

Which century was the Battle of Trafalgar?

Birds:-

Barn Owl.

2 Meadow Pipit.

C10 Small Gulls.

Bullfinch.

Quiz Answer:-

19th Century.

Ogden - Foul a.m - No Fowl p.m.

Awful weather this morning with heavy rain and gale force winds.

Things improved a bit later with the rain slackening off a bit but it remain very windy.

I had a drive over to Ogden after lunch where the cafe was closed which was no surprise given the weather.

Rain and wind here at first but it dried up staying windy.

Not a lot on the water and even the bread lobbing area was bereft of Mallard with the Mallards here and there along the way.

I had 2 laps of the water today (which I spat out ugh! ) before some half decent birds did show up.

A Dipper in the promenade sluice area was being mobbed by a Kingfisher (unless the swimming Dipper was bringing tiddlers to the Kingfisher 's attention)?

Any way it was as black as sin looking down there today.

I went home via Raggalds where there was a small flood but no inhabitants.

The water will probably have gone by tomorrow.

Quiz:-

Gout is a disorder that arises due to persistently elevated levels of which acid in the blood?

Birds:-

Mallard.

C20 Small Gulls.

1 Herring Gull.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Kingfisher.

Dipper.

2 Bullfinch.

2 Goldcrest.

1 Treecreeper seen - more heard.

Quiz Answer:

Uric Acid.

Pinkies

No birding time to day really.

I did have a half an hour sky watch in the garden this morning though.

There were reports of Pinkies over  Stainland - Cromwell - Mytholmroyd - Hipperholme -  Dean Head - Norland all reported via the Calderdale Birders Whatsapp Group app this morning.

A good gawp at the sky to the south east of my garden in Bradshaw did eventually bring rewards with Pinkies seen way, way off to my south heading west.

There were two large Skeins and they looked like a broken telephone wire at the distance.

I reported 250+ seen and it was comforting to get a 'ping' later from MJB noting 283 passing him a tad later!

Other than that just c20 Starlings , c30 Common Gulls and a Kestrel seen an Sue and I walked up to Percy Road Ken's to drop some marmalade off late morning.

Quiz:

Who directed the film Fight Club?

Quiz Answer:

David Fincher.

Ogden - Soil Hill - Bradshaw

A much improved day today and it was breezy and dry this afternoon as I walked around Ogden Water.

I enjoyed a good laugh in the cafe there with the volunteers and Margret and her mountain bike dreams!

After a coffee and a KitKat I headed home via Ned Hill Lane,  Soil Hill (Main Path) and Taylor Lane.

Soil Hill was very windy but otherwise it was OK - the wind however kept birds at bay.

A few birds came and went , still waiting for some different Wildfowl to grace Ogden Water.

Quiz:

Who played Private Ryan in the film Saving Private Ryan?

Birds:

Kingfisher. (Caught what looks like a stickleback).

c20 Small Gulls.

15 or so Herring Gulls.

2 Treecreeper.

3 Goldcrest.

5 Long Tailed Tit.

2 Kestrel.

The only bird on Soil Hill Top was a solitary Fieldfare that flushed as I reached the top.

1 Common Gull was on the covered reservoir.

c15 Common Gulls with Rooks along Taylor Lane.

Little Owl - Bradshaw Lane.

Earlier I had a very distant look at Mixenden Reservoir from the top road, nothing large on the water.

Quiz Answer:

Matt Damon.

Elland to Cromwell Bottom

A rotten day in Bradshaw today with mist and heavy drizzle blown along by a strong westerly wind.

Sue had a visit to make to Elland this afternoon and she kindly dropped me on Elland Bridge so I could enjoy a walk along the canal / river / canal to Cromwell Bottom.

A bit of light drizzle and just a bit of a breeze here and with the breeze was coming from behind me , the walk turned out to ok.

Birds were at a premium and even the Ski Lake was quiet except for the many Gulls here, with very few Duck species seen alas.

The Gull photos taken through the railings are very poor.

Quiz:

Which actress starred in The Lone Ranger, Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

 Birds:-

4 Mute Swan.

2 Grey Wagtail.

2 Moorhen.

Bullfinch.

6 Cormorant.

1 Goosander.

6 Teal (On the lagoon).

1 M Tufted Duck. 

3 Heron.

Pr. Goldeneye.

Canada Goose.

Herring Gull.

Common Gull.

Black Headed Gull.

Quiz Answer:

Helen Bonham Carter.

Local Fields and White Windows Sowerby Bridge

Just a short walk this morning up the local fields with Abi with us and Emma later on.

Pleasant enough if a tad cold and a few Birds here and there.

I had a look at White Windows garden while Sue and Abi were busy sorting Emma out.

We all went to Wetherspoons, Brighouse for some lunch and we dropped Abi off at Wakefield at tea time - a bit of a drag on the busy motorway, there and back.

Quiz:

In which film would you find the character Rose DeWitt Bukater? 

Birds:

Local Fields:

Kestrel.

Little Owl.

2 Wren.

Goldfinch.

Stonechat. Very distant.

2 Herring Gulls, c10 Common Gulls , The Black Headed Gull.

(Fox).

White Windows Garden: (all very flighty).

Nuthatch.

Coal Tit,

Long Tailed Tit.

Bullfinch.

Goldfinch.

Treecreeper.

Goldcrest.

OK - I'm not jealous

Quiz Answer:

Titanic.