Bradshaw - Soil Hill - Ogden Water - Bradshaw (Fri)

13:15- 16:45

My usual jaunt over Soil Hill and around Ogden water this afternoon did not bring anything new.

On the plus sign there were more contact calls from the bushes and trees around Ogden Water and as we wave goodbye to July and welcome in August, thing will start to improve.

I did manged to see and get a poor photo of a secretive Chiffchaff though.

Soil Hill was very blowy again but two Skylarks did flush from the summit and 'burble' as they flew away.

Some Birds:-

c15 Swallow.

2 Skylark.

Little Owl -  Syke Lane.

2 Cormorant.

3 Heron.

Great Crested Grebe.

2 Nuthatch.

Chiffchaff.

2 Stock Dove.

and ..

Bradshaw Fields Yesterday evening

12 Mistle Thrush. Little Owl. Meadow Pipit. Stock Dove.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls Above.

Chiffchaff.

Ogden Water & Bradshaw Fields (Wed. Evening)

 I had a run out to park near Ogden Water late morning today.

It was good to bump into NK along the Ogden Water circuit where we discussed the possibility of a Yellow Legged Gull but between us we let it go as a Herring Gull.

Difficult Gulls! Love 'em or hate 'em  - I hate 'em (most of the time).

Other than that  just the usual birds here again today.

Yesterday evening I had a short birding walk along the local fields were there were 2 Little Owl, 12 Mistle Thrush and a Pheasant.

Birds Ogden:

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

3 Heron (2 Ogden Water, 1 over Back Lane).

Canada Geese.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls coming and going with counts of 50, 60 and finally 80 birds.

2 Herring Gull.

2 Common Gull.

c60 Black Headed Gull

Swallow.

2 Cormorant.

3 Nuthatch.

2 Willow Warbler.

Buzzard.

1 Tufted Duck.

1 Great Creasted Grebe.

Herring Gull

Herring Gull

Common Gull

Gulls Ogden

Bradshaw & Soil Hill

12:50 - 14:40

This afternoon I had a sticky birding walk, in a very warm wind,  along the Bradshaw Fields, through the farms to Ned Hill Road and up and over a very windy Soil Hill summit and then down Taylor Lane to home.

Tough going again to find anything new but a few bits and pieces did keep the interest alive.

Birds:-

c60 Goldfinch flock.

2 Little Owl (Bradshaw Fields).

2 Juv. Little Owl (Bradshaw Lane).

14 Swallow.

2 Meadow Pipit.

Pied Wagtail.

Greenfinch.

Chaffinch.

3 Stock Dove.

and a few others.

Little Owl - Bradshaw Lane.

Little Owl - Bradshaw Fields.

Bradshaw - Soil Hill - Ogden Water - Bradshaw

11:10 - 14:50.

I had my usual 3 hour birding outing today with a walk over Soil Hill and around Ogden Water - home via the farm tracks and field paths.

I nearly missed being caught by the squally drizzly stuff that plagued the morning but not quite - being caught by a short burst going up Taylor Lane.

The wind was a feature throughout - especially on Soil Hill where I managed to see 2 Stock Dove,  1 Swift a few Swallow and flush a Skylark and a Meadow Pipit Nothing on the overgrown NK pond and the north slope is impassable at the moment baht Machete.

(Some) Birds:-

Greenfinch. Swallows. 4 Stock Dove.

1 Swift. 1 Skylark. 1 Meadow Pipit.

2 Kestrel. 2 Common Gull.

c75 Black Headed Gull.

c75 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

4 Herring Gull.

3 Heron.

4 Siskin.

1 Willow Warbler.

1 Tufted Duck.

1 Great Crested Grebe.

10 or so Canada Geese.

1 KitKat. 1 Coffee and one Sausage with salad sarnie.

Heron Fishing.

Result - One small portion of Omega 3.

Probably a Lifer.

Ogden

I drove over to park near Ogden water mid-afternoon today.

The weather was unpleasant with regular showers blown along by a stiff wind.

I did just one circuit of the water which was enough with just the usual birds on offer.

(No Y.L. Gull as far as I could tell).

To say the weather was poor there were quite a lot of visitors going around.

Keeping the camera dry is a bit of a nuisance but it is always good to get out from behind my 4 walls!

On the plus side there is plenty of shore line - checking it out , though , can be difficult in places.

Small Gulls have returned to the Bonnet fields seen as I had a couple miles exercise walk up to the Raggalds and around Percy Road etc. this morning.

Birds:

2 Cormorant.

c120 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

c60 Black Headed Gull.

c10 Herring Gull.

2 Heron.

1 Great Crested Grebe.

1 Tufted Duck.

Mallard.

Canada Geese.

Coal Tit.

and a few others.

Blackstone Edge and Whiteholme and Bradshaw Fields Last Evening.

11:00 0 14:00

I had a visit to make to deliver a birthday present to Helen at Luddenden Foot and I took the opportunity to visit Blackstone Edge and Whiteholme Reservoirs as as was "over that way".

 

I went there via the Ripponden Road.

After my visit here I needed to go down Turvin Road through Crag Vale to get to Burnley Road and Luddenden Foot, but the sign near Blackstone Reservoir informed that the road was closed.

A dog walker I talked to told me that I could get through, via a small road near the bottom  of the long hill nearing Mytholmroyd, so I headed off down the road.

As I got a bit nearer the bottom, and unsure of the route, I pulled in to let 

 the car behind me pass so I could follow him to Burnley Road.

Anyway...  I could not keep up with the bugger, he drove so fast.

"Fortunately" as I neared the bottom a big white van pulled out in front of me, and this van was towing another flat back vehicle carrying several timber planks!!

So I thought - yes he is definitely going to the main drag so I followed this ungainly pair of vehicles.

This turned out to be a BIG mistake as it turned right at the bottom and headed along a really narrow road rising up and up the valley, obviously not going to the main drag.

Having committed myself  I decided to carry on and follow the 2 vans.

We met 2 more vans and the bus along the way - getting past was interesting stuff.

Anyway the road came out at Pinfold Lane, Sowerby Bridge! and I had to go up Tuel Lane to get to Burnley Road and head off all the way back to Luddenden Foot.

The moral of the story is look at the map you clown......

..... And the Waders seen at Whiteholme earlier (MH AC) eluded me.

On the plus side I got a nice cup of tea and a tart thingy at Helens and a Juv. Great Spotted Woodpecker was on her feeders.

Birds:-

Blackstone Res:

5 Pied Wagtail and a Peregrine Falcon over the water - fast.

Whiteholme Res:

c20 Meadow Pipit. 4 Pied Wagtail. Wren, Crow. 

2 Wheatear.

2 Swallow.

1 Greylag Goose. Mallard with 2 Ducklings.

Reed Bunting,

Bradshaw Fields (Last Evening):

3 Little Owl.

4 Raven.

Green Woodpecker.

2 Mistle Thrush.

Blackstone Res:

Whiteholme Res:

Bradshaw Fields (Last Evening):

 

Ogden Water

12:30 - 14:45

I had a run over to Ogden Water after lunch today It was a bit busier with schoolkids and families but not too bad.

A dull, still, warm muggy sort of outing with lots of midges appearing on the west side for some reason.

Not much on offer today really, but with the good amounts of shoreline the next few weeks could actually bring in a Wader (I hope).

It was pleasing to see 9 Swallow together on a line as I walked past the activity centre near the woods to cross Back Lane and drop down to the water's edge.

Birds:-

9 Swallow together plus a few mobile. 

3 Heron. Coal Tit.Grey Wagtail.

A Pheasant that I nearly trod on proved my heart is still working!

10 Canada Geese. c40 Black Headed Gull. C40 Lesser Black-baked Gull.

1 Common Gull. c75 Mallard. 5 Herring Gull.

1 Tufted Duck. Great Crested Grebe.

Nuthatch. Siskin. Bullfinch

and a few other regulars.