Ogden Plantation/ Water - Soil Hill (Summit) - Bradshaw

A beautiful sunny day today with quite a strong wind - espicially on Soil Hill Summit (where birds were hard to come by).

I enjoyed a 'late' breakfast and a long chin-wag with Sue's best friend Geraldine in Wild's cafe at Cross Roads above Keighley this morning.

Geraldine kindly dropped me off at Back Lane Plantation on the way home so I could 'go-a-birding'.

I had actually had my porridge at 8:00 am, so the second "small" cooked breakfast at 10:30am (and a big bun) filled my calorie bucket list for the day.

A good nosey at the plantation revealed half a dozen or so calling Goldcrest and a Buzzard but little else.

Leaving the plantation a Red Legged Partridge called from the undergrowth and a tad later a second Red Legged Partridge scurried along the field edge into undergrowth - my 1st Red Legged Partridge this year.

Ogden was poor again with just a few Gulls with lots gone elsewhere to have babies,

Soil Hill Summit in the wind had a few Meadow Pipits flitting about.

I thought I'd struck gold along Taylor Lane with an unusual bird was way distant in a field corner.

I could not ID it in my bins and  having only size one legs I had to climb onto the wall to get it in my huge zoom camera's view finder- where it morphed into a Fieldfare - which was 'ok' I guess.

It was good to swap insults with RH who I met loitering with intent at the end of Syke Lane.

His missus soon moved him along smartly though! 

(Some) Birds:-

Goldcrest. 2 Buzzard.

2 Red Legged Partridge. 2 Mistle Thrush.

5 Meadow Pipit. Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Nuthatch. 1 Drake Tufted Duck.

5 Herring Gull. 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull. 1 Common Gull. 4 Black Headed Gull.

Kestrel. Greenfinch.

2 Fieldfare. Starling.

Disappearing Red Legged Partridge.

Jay House Lane Area

10:00 - 12:15

I was hoping to enhance my yearly Calderdale Bird List this morning by taking a few hours moseying around the Jay House Lane area.

The enhancement alas was not forthcoming.

I parked in the layby opposite the Golf Club on the AI! and walked to the bottom of Jay House Lane to the ford and back.

It was good to have a quick chat with JM who was on a leg stretcher here abouts.

It was a tad windy and cool with the odd spit of rain but ok really compared to Bradshaw.

Lots of birds calls and bird song here today but no mega for me.

Birds:-

4 Chiffchaff. Little Owl, House Sparrow.

2 Curlew. 2 Buzzard.

Nuthatch. 2 Song Thrush.

1 Grey Wagtail. Pr. Teal.

2 Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest.

Pied Wagtail. Kestrel.

6 Greenfinch, Dunnock,

Rook. 2 Pheasant.Blackbird. Starling.

Woodpigeon. Magpie. Wren. Robin.

Goldfinch. Chaffinch,

Blue Tit. Great Tit. Long Tailed Tit.

Crow. Magpie. Jackdaw.

Herring Gull.

Mallard.

Bradshaw - Soil Hill - Ogden Water - Bradshaw

10:00 - 14:45

It was a dry sunny day for a change today - pretty chilly out of the sun early on but Ogden Water was warm enough.

I had a long birding outing today, that included a walk to the bottom of Soil Hill's north slope, hoping for a migrant but not seeing one.

Later on a walk back from the Paper shop on School Lane, Bradshaw a Raven passed overhead calling, flying towards Oats Royd conifers.

Birds:-

Bradshaw - Soil Hill - Ned Hill Road.

3 Pheasant, Greenfinch, c20 Woodpigeon.

Magpie, Crow, Robin, Wren, Blackbird.

3 Curlew, 14 Meadow Pipit, 6 Skylark.

2 Heron (NK Pond), 2 Buzzard, 1 Lapwing.

1 Stock Dove, 2 Herring Gull.

Ned Hill - Ogden:-

4 Chaffinch, 2 Curlew, Pied Wagtail. Bullfinch.

Pr. Tufted Duck, Robin, Blackbird, Long Tailed Tit.

c15 Gulls on Ogden Water at One point included 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring, Common and Black-headed Gull.

Coal Tit, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Mistle Thrush, Blue Tit, Great Tit.

6 Treecreeper, 2 Buzzard, Pheasant.Wren.

(Nothing special see along Back Lane!).

Syke Lane - Bradshaw:-

2 Stock Dove, c50 Jackdaw, Long Tailed Tit.

Blackbird, Pheasant.

3 Curlew, 2 Meadow Pipit, Little Owl.

Greenfinch and a few others.

School Lane Shop to Home:

Raven, Song Thrush, Starling.

Blackbird singing it's head off from my garden - in the dark this evening.

Mixenden - Redshank

Another very windy day with frequent showers.

It took a long time today for me to shift my fat rrrrrrrr's and find a small piece of birding enthusiasm.

After lunch I decided I would try Mixenden Reservoir ......  later......

Anyhow a  Calderdale Birders WhatsApp message came  through from DJS - NK had found a Redshank on Mixenden Reservoir - no more procrastination, so off I set in my car.

As I got to the top gate, the rain arrived at the top gate as well, and a man was walking a dog along the reservoir banking - just B great!

I was hoping to scan from the top gate so as not to scale the wall.

For one - I've only size one legs - and for two -  I was wearing my big numb wellies -  and for three - I had forgotten my new Amazon , Paper mâché lightweight foldable step ladder. 

After looking longingly through the top gate in the rain and and not seeing anything "red" - scale the wall was the only option -  luckily no one was watching my efforts.

Coming soon to Mixi.

It was very windy with squally showers.

I walked the 'west coast' then the 'north coast' then the 'east coast' then the 'south coast'.

When I got back to where I started a bobbing Wader was on the stones by the water's edge - nice - a redshank that made it all worthwhile. 

Cheers Nigel.

It 'flushed' when it saw me - making it more 'red' ? ho ho and flew to the far NE corner.

It was flushed a little later by 2 new dog walkers but landed again on the east side rocks.

Birds:-

1 Redshank.

c30 Gulls at one point included 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common and Herring Gulls.

5 Mallard.

Small flock of Long Tailed Tit.

A few very, very flighty Goldcrest flitting about in the west side conifers.

Mistle Thrush singing,

Chaffinch. Robin.

 

Bradshaw Fields and Farm Track

15:00 - 16:30

I had a mid-afternoon very windy birding walk along the local fields and farm tracks to Ned Hill Road bottom and back.

Not a lot happening in the strong wind.

Top of the shop was a flock of  c70 very flighty Meadow Pipits that were in the fields as I neared home.

Birds:-

Greenfinch, 2 Herring Gull.

4 Curlew. 3 Pheasant. c50 Jackdaw.

Goldfinch. Magpie. Crow.

5 Stock Dove. 4 Canada Geese. Buzzard.

Blackbird. Starling. Dunnock.

c70 Meadow Pipit.

Little Owl.

Cromwell Bottom NR

It was a bright 'cool' morning and I had a run down to Brighouse to check to see if the Shovelers, seen yesterday, were still here.

I was in luck with the 2 Drakes feeding on the lagoon.

Also the my first Chiffchaff of the year with several heard and a few seen as I had a short meander around, ending up in the excellent visitors centre 'cafe'.

After a coffee , wodge of Fruit Cake and cheese I had a further walk about before heading back to Bradshaw.

The Ski-lake had many Gulls but I did not see a 'special' - but that does not mean that there was not one (or two)  there!

Siskin were calling but I could not locate them.

I took a short video of another similar call - my Merlin-app suggests Redpoll... giving it a red circle - see what you think.

(Some) Birds:-

2 Greylag Geese.

2 Drake Shoveler.

2 Grey Wagtail.

Nuthatch.

Siskin.

2 Teal.

Male Goosander.

2 Buzzard.

4 Goldeneye (2 Drakes).

c6 Chiffchaff (Unless one was following me around).

3 Mute Swan.

4 Coot.

Eight Heron by the water's edge.

7 Black Headed Gull, 2 Common Gull, 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull,  c30 Herring Gull at one point.