Bradshaw - Soil Hill (Summit) - Ogden Water - Bradshaw Farms

12:55 - 16:30

It was a bit of a miserable morning weather wise so I opted for an afternoon birding outing where the weather was pretty good if a tad drafty.

I had the usual walk up to and over Soil Hill, down to and around Ogden Water and home  via The farms and fields tracks.

Another very June like outing with the usual suspect seen.

Bords:-

4 Heron. 7 Swallow. Blackbird. Goldfinch, 2 Whitethroat.

3 Pied Wagtail. c20 Lesser Black-backed Gull. 1 Herring Gull. 3 Linnet. 6 Meadow Pipit.

3 Skylark. 2 Pheasant. 2 Lapwing. Kestrel. 2 Swift.

5 Blackcap. c35 Mallard (3 Mallard Ducklings). 3 Chiffchaff. 2 Song Thrush, Treecreeper.

Great Tit. Blue Tit. Coal Tit. Goldfinch. Wren.

Robin. 3 Tufted Duck (1 F). 2 Willow Warbler. 16 Canada Geese. Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Dunnock. House Sparrow. Buzzard. 4 Stock Dove. 3 Red Legged Partridge(Included  1 Juv. Red Legged Partridge by the way in flew into the long grass).

Bradshaw - Soil Hill (Sunday)

12:25 - 15:00

I had my usual birding walk up to Soil Hill (missed out on the north slope) this afternoon.

An 'awkward' day, clothes wise, with sunny periods and scattered showers.

I thought I'd got the wrong gear on, with waterproof kecks and coat,  as I was sweating going up Taylor Lane, until I got to Soil Hill summit where a very, very strong wind greeted me soon followed by a hefty shower blown along by it.

After 15 minutes the sun popped out and I was nearly dry by the time I got home.

Birds:-

2 Skylark, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Curlew.

3 Swift, c10 Meadow Pipit.

c20 Linnet (10 in one flock).

Chaffinch, Pied Wagtail, 3 Swallow.

1 Herring Gull.7 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

6 Starling. 1 Lapwing. 2 Pheasant.

2 Grey Partridge (that I nearly stood on) probably didn't hear me because of the wind noise - flushed form the summit path.

Bradshaw & Soil Hill

14:00 - 16:45

A cloudy day with some light showers early on but it stayed dull and dry for my birding walk this afternoon.

It was good to chat with AC who I bumped into along the way.

Just the usual crowd seen again today, although my birding app reported a Common Ringed Plover and a Garden Warbler on the north slope - neither of which I heard.

I'm guessing several birds that were singing simultaneously got Merlin's knickers in a knot.

Birds:-

c35 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Goldfinch, 4 Curlew, Kestrel. 3 Swallow,

Buzzard. Little Owl, 3 Pheasant. Dunnock. 

4 Whitethroat. c10 Meadow Pipit. 

c20 Linnet. 2 Lapwing.

Oystercatcher,

A Partridge sp, flushed from behind me on the summit.

3 Canada Geese. 3 Blackcap.

Blackbird. Blue Tit, Robin. Great Tit. Chaffinch.

4 Willow Warbler.

2 Skylark.

Mixenden Reservoir

14:25 - 15:45

Another poor day weather wise with heavy showers and a gusty SW wind.

The boredom eventually shoved me out of the door and I took a run over to Mixenden with  me waterproofs and wellies.

Superb timing - I did not get wet!

I checked out the west side today.

A large bow-wow had left his yesterday's tea as a huge deposit on the path.

I thought the shape of the mound was not very symmetrical for my liking so I rearranged the shape with the bottom of my right wellie - that's a lot nicer now I said.

Well..... maybe I did not say that exactly. 

There were 4 dog walkers here today - one had 3 dogs.

Birds:-

Nothing at all on the water.

2 Gulls passed high.

6 Swallow.

2 Swift.

Chiffchaff.

Willow Warbler.

Blackcap.

Blue Tit.

Goldfinch.

Coal Tit.

Great Tit.

Grey Wagtail.

Chaffinch.

Blackbird.

Robin.

Bright & Breezy Fly Flatts

14:00 - 15:45

I had a run out to Fly Flatts this afternoon.

The forecast was 60% chance of rain, so I donned my waterproofs - that scared the rain away - a dry outing.

I was hoping for some Waders near the North End of the water but most birds stayed stubbornly very distant on the east side.

Just 2 Common Sandpiper that were kind enough to venture near the NW for a while made a change.

Birds:-

Kestrel.

Many Swift zooming about and screaming.

2 Swallow.

4 Curlew.

4 Redshank.

Canada Geese, Mallard.

Buzzard.

1 Black Headed Gull over  (heard, not seen!).

2 Common Sandpiper (At least).

Crow.

2 Reed Bunting.

An odd continuous call similar to a Red Legged Partridge that I thought might have been a Snipe, remained unseen.

Pretty Post !!!

A breezy Soil Hill saunter

 13:15 - 17:00

I had quite a long afternoon out looking for something extra-ordinary but no extras today alas.

I did my usual walk up Bradshaw Lane to Soil Hill and down the north slope and I came home via the same route.

A bit on the breezy side really, but dry.

One Oystercatcher was seen and a second was calling faintly from nearby, but I could not pick it out.

The Oystercatcher I saw reminded me of an recent email from Octopus Energy with it's dirty big bill.

Nice to chat to Mr & Mrs H (and dog) on Percy road.

Birds:-

2 Whitethroat, 8 Swallow, 3 Pheasant, 6 Lesser Black-backed Gull, Chaffinch.

3 Skylark, c10 Linnet, 1 Lapwing, 2 Oystercatcher, c10 Meadow Pipit.

 Curlew, Song Thrush, 5 Willow Warbler, 6 Swift, 2 Blackcap.

Bullfinch, Great Tit, Pied Wagtail.

A Hot Hike and a Dip!

10:30 - 15:45

Hot and Sunny.

Following a Calderdale Birding Group Whatsapp from CK of a Cuckoo and a Tree Pipit near the Giant's Tooth, Ogden I thought I'd bite the bullet and go for a long twitch to see if I could locate either bird.

It was quite a grueller today , from Bradshaw to Ogden Water (rammed with people for the Halifax Harrier annual run) and up to Giant Tooth where Per-Spire-a-tion was in evidence.

After a lengthy look-see near the Tooth I sat on the stone seat here to have my sack's meagre supply of rations - 1 Pk Crisps, 1 Choc Choc Bar and an apple.

I slurped some water and had a look a bit higher up to my left at the conifers.

I did get a distant call that I could not place and my Merlin App could not hear it(deaf as a post) but it definitely was not either bird I was after.

Soon after I had passed the Wooden Seat near the Tooth a Pied Flycatcher called several times to my right from high in foliage.

I did not eyeball it , and it soon flew across the path >East-ish to call from further away in inaccessible woodland before being heard even further away.

I called at the Visitors Centre for a coffee and a Kit-Kat to fire me up for my trudge up Ned Hill Road and over Soil Hill to home.

(Some) Birds:-

Loads of birdsong today.

Willow Warbler. Chiffchaff, and lots Blackcap singers.

4 Whitethroat. 4 Stock Dove. 6 Swallow.

A Mallard with family in tow sailed very close to a Heron at Ogden Water, luckily the Heron did not bite!

3 Tufted Duck. Buzzard, Curlew.

10 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Herring Gull.

Pied Flycatcher.