Bradshaw - Soil Hill (Summit) - Ogden (Brief Look) - Bradshaw

On this bright and sunny cold morning I got my boots on , after what seems like a month, and set off to Soil Hill.

Taylor Lane was well dodgy with thick ice and laying snow and I had to keep walking on the snowy verge to stop falling on me pride.

DJB was on the summit of Soil Hill, when I got there, and we had a very enjoyable hour or so sky gazing.

DJB had been her a while and he had, had a few north slope specials (which I didn't),

We did get some birds moving from time to time which kept us alert.

I found looking into the bright blue sky quite difficult - an age thing probably.

But the younger eyes next door were very helpful and informative.

My one plus was that I did hear a skein of calling Pink Footed Geese first.

After we went our separate ways, I headed down to Ogden to get a warming coffee.

Unfortunately the visitors centre was closed today presumably because of the snow and ice.

Can't blame the volunteers for giving Ogden Lane a miss today!

I had a very quick look at the water from the visitors centre and decided that I would not do a circuit of the water today with the path looking well dodgy.

Soft sod what I am.

I came home for lunch, via the farm track and the field footpath.

I've made a bit of a pig's ear with the Golden Plover photos.

Birds:-

316 Pink Footed Geese. (DJB Photos).

11 Curlew (10 seen, one heard).

4 Golden Plover.

2 Buzzard.

3 Skylark.

2 Little Owl.

Greenfinch, Dunnock.

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Black Headed Gull.

3 Wren, Bullfinch, 2 Stock Dove, Chaffinch.

Crows, Magpies and Jackdaws.

and a few others.

Bradshaw Fields.

Bradshaw Lane

Dragged this out of a photo - Lesser Black-backed Gull?

Jackdaw

Some Snowy Stuff.

Main Track

Taylor Lane

Bradshaw - Soil Hill - Ogden - Bradshaw

10:00 - 14:10.

A bright morning for a change and I had a walk over Soil Hill summit and around Ogden Water coming home via the Bradshaw Farms and fields.

Some Pinkies skeins reported but I seemed to be in the Ogden cafe when the local ones went through!

Ogden car park was rammed again - nice to be on foot at times like these.

I lost a black woolen glove (probably on Ned Hill Track or Ned Hill Road) - £1.99 from Boyes in Brighouse - Now I'll have to save up to buy another pair.

Luckily I've got a cupboard full of odd gloves and one of them will do for now.

There were plenty of bird calls in the brightness this morning but Ogden was poor again - probably affected by the number of folk here.

Birds:-

Bradshaw, Soil Hill & Ned Hill Track:

Greenfinch, Starling, House Sparrow.

6 Skylark, 21 Magpie. Woodpigeon.

Both Pied and Grey Wagtail on the lower Taylor Lane midden.

Canada Goose. 3 Mistle Thrush, Robin.

Chaffinch. 2 Herring Gulls over (probably lots more over!).

Common Gull.

Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird.

3 Mallard.

c10 Meadow Pipit.

Crow. Dunnock.

c50 Jackdaw. Feral Pigeon.

2 Pheasant. Kestrel.

Little Owl called from west of Ned Hill Track.

2 Little Owl usual garden area Bradshaw.

Ogden:

Goldfinch, 3 Herring Gull, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull. c40 Small Gulls.

Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, Buzzard.

2 Raven. Long Tailed Tit, Crow,

Mallard. Blackbird, Robin. Dunnock.

Goldcrest.

Nuthatch. 

c60 Gulls in Syke Lane fields.

Wobbly Video of distant Gulls in

Syke Lane Fields.

Bradshaw - Ogden

I had a mid-morning, early afternoon stroll across the fields to check out Ogden Water.

The visibility here was very pool alas.

After a coffee in the visitors 'cafe' I bumped into NK snd we did a circuit of the water.

NK veered off towards Mixenden while I endured some more birding pain with a second circuit of the drink.

The dry dull weather at the outset, deteriorated and I got very, very wet on my final leg across the open Bradshaw Fields.

It was a tad milder today I thought.

My brilliant Columbia Ski Coat that I've had since I was a baby has finally bit the dust letting in some co2? - perhaps not.. may be h2o **...of course they don't make this model any more. Boo Hoo.

**Ah. I got it now.. it was radium and indium that ingressed.

I am giving my coat some waterproofing TLC this aft to see if I can  breathe some new life into the black rag.

Just a small camera with me today - which turned out to be a good idea when the heavy wet stuff arrived.

Anyway, having been stuck in home for a few days it was good to get some fresh air and exercise today.

Birds:-

c50 Jackdaw.

Woodpigeon.

Magpie.

Crow.

3 Coal Tit.

Dunnock.

C10 Robin.

Blue Tit.

Great Tit.

Long Tailed Tit.

4 Mistle Thrush.

1 Herring Gull with a few Common and Black Headed Gull.

Mallard.

Wren.

4 Blackbird.

2 Pheasant.

2 Stock Dove.

Not many bird calls today.

What's this Scotty?

It's bones Jim.

Great Diet the doctor's on.

Jackaws in the mist

Soil Hill with DJB

Another morning with really poor visibility but DJB was kind enough to accompany me up to Soil Hill to try and find Jack Snipe.

We did manage to see a few of the usual bird species on the way up but the mist/fog soon rolled in making thinks and things awkward.

DJB had brough his iPhone heat seeking gizmo to help.

I was more a cameraman than a birder today as we 'wallowed in the mud', clay and large slippy brown puddles.

 

2 Jack Snipe did flush - away in a breath but after we lumbered through some slippy mud, clay and reeds perseverance brought a eureka moment with DJB coming up trumps finding a bird in the reeds.

The bird was quite content to sit still, knowing that its fantastic camouflage plumage  will keep it safe.

Even knowing where the bird was I still had difficulty seeing it with my ancient eyes and then getting it in the camera viewfinder and then  in focus.

Anyway I got a few photos which I think are not bad.

What a fantastic bird - I don't know how it manages to survive in all that gunge up there.

A really memorable day for me today.

Birds:-

3 Jack Snipe.

Fieldfare.

Song Thrush.

Starling.

Rook.

and a few others.

Jack Snipe up in the air in the fog.

One on the deck.

I did not realise how long the bill is.

Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve

It was another grotty morning in Bradshaw with a perishing cold Easterly wind which seemed to me to have some north in it. Zero degrees on the car.

I left the grot behind and drove down to Brighouse.

My usual parking place by Avocet was full to the brim so I parked in the Nature Reserve area.

It was not a day to hang about with the cold making my little fingers tingle, soft sod what I am.

I did a quick circuit of the area before standing to gawp through the ski-lake railings at the 'imprisoned' wildlife there.

At first it was difficult to see much new through the railings, but a few Goldeneye were kind enough to make an appearance.

More Lesser Black-backed Gulls here than I've seen lately.

At one point ALL the Gulls left the water "en-masse" and headed for the sky.

I had a look up to see what was causing the commotion and a Large Raptor flew south perused by a Crow Type.

Because of the birds flight, at the time I did not think it was a Buzzard but I could be wrong.

I did not think a Buzzard would have this affect on the Gulls either?

I called at the Visitors Centre cafe for a coffee, fruit cake and lump of cheese - very very nice indeed.

Snow warning issued for late  afternoon - great.

Birds:

A good selection of Gulls.

Pair Bullfinch.

Coot.

Moorhen.

Cormorant.

1 Male Goosander on the lake and 1 Red Head Goosander on the river.

6 Goldeneye (3m 3f).

Mallard.

Mute Swan (grunting).

Nothing seen on the lagoon.

It was good to see a class of young school kids being shown the (Phala)ropes down here today. 

Ho Ho ,,,,B.... Ho.

Photos of Large Raptor above.