BRADSHAW RAMBLER:
A report on the birds seen by an amateur birder on his regular rambles
through Bradshaw, Halifax, West Yorkshire and beyond.
I did not get free until later on today and just managed to squeeze in a short birding walk along the local fields to Ned Hill Road and back.
It was a cold day today but it stayed dry - snow tonight????
Birds:-
Greenfinch.
Three Raven.
2 Bullfinch.
2 Stock Dove.
Two Little Owl.
Buzzard.
8 Ling Tailed Tit.
3 Coal Tit.
and a few of the usuals.
As I went outside early morning to deposit some recyling in the bin, I heard the faint call of Pink Footed Geese and managed to see three Geese heading WSW in the dark sky.
A bit later on I had another run over to Ringstone.
Obviously, I had had insufficient disappointment here yesterday so I went to have a disappointment top-up.
The weather was very wet and breezy as I legged it across the banking to shelter behind the bird hide.
I spent most of my short visit scanning from here, but seeing very little.
After lunch the rain stopped so I had a walk along the local fields to Ned Hill Road and back.
I got a few more 'ticks' ✓✓✓ today which was comforting.
Birds:-
Garden:
3 Pink Footed Geese.
Ringstone:
7 Fieldfare > South.
2 Herring Gull over the water.
Common & Black Headed Gulls in the fields.
(Just 3 Common Gull on the water).
A "mass" of Canada Geese.
Greylag Geese.
Local Fields:-
Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Herring Gull.
Common Gull.
Black Headed Gull.
2 Stock Dove.
Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch.
Blue, Great & Long Tailed Tit.
Robin, Blackbird, Magpie, Crow, Jackdaw.
3 Pheasant.
Little Owl.
Ringstone:
I made the longish trip over to Ringstone reservoir mid-morning.
It was very, very windy here with the threat of rain that did not materialise during my short stay.
There were no birds at all on the water and many birds in the fields were hunkered down.
A disappointing visit really but yesterday's cobwebs, that had formed on my lug holes, as I sat in all day doing crosswords , were blown to blazes.
At least the Greylag Geese gave me a yearly tick.
Birds:-
1 Meadow Pipit.
c10 Lapwing.
c20 Starling.
12 Greylag Geese. (One with prominent orange eye ring).
28 Canada Geese.
Black Headed and Common Gull.
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.
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.
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.
