Mixenden (Whoopers) & Wainstalls Area

9:00 - 14:00

Mixenden Reservoir.

It was a bright and sunny morning as I set off to drive to Wainstalls to check out Cold Edge Dams.

As I drove along I looked down ay Mixenden Reservoir from the top road and noticed some large white blobs on the distant water.

I parked up and took a few distant phots before driving on,  and parking near Mixenden Reservoir  to walk up there and get some better photos of the 13 Whooper Swans on the water.

It was nice to bump into B.S. who called to see them on his way home from Fly Flats.

The Whoopers had probably recently arrived because they were not apparent when B.S.

checked from the high road as he passed earlier.

A very nice start to my birding day.

Wainstalls Rd - Cold Edge Dams - Castle Carr Road (400 yds).

I parked on the main  road, just before Wainstalls Road, with parking a bit cluttered lower down with the schools on the go.

I enjoyed a walk along Wainstalls Road and up the moorland to Cold Edge Dams.

I though wearing a T Shirt, Shirt, 2 Jumpers and a waterproof coat I thought would be lathered but Cold Edge was true to form with a cool breeze up there on the tops.

I did a leisurely circuit of both dams before sitting on a rock in the sun and enjoying a sandwich for lunch. 

I did another circuit of both dams before returning to the road and walking along Castle Carr road for a while.

2 overcoats warmer on Castle Carr Road phew.

It was a very enjoyable outing today in the sun and ,the moorland up here in the sunshine, is very, very picturesque.

Just 4 people and 2 dogs seen in all.

Birds:-

Mixenden.

1 Kestrel.

13 Whooper Swan.

Mallard and Canada Geese.

Usual Gulls as far as I could tell.

Wainstalls Rd - Cold Edge Dams - Castle Carr Road (400 yds).

Loads of birds song / calls and Gulls coming and going.

1 Kestrel.

At least 6 Stonechat - well spaced out - mostly along the road side fences.

6 Meadow Pipit.

4 Skylark.

3 Oystercatcher > E.

6 Curlew.

2 Red Grouse.

10 Lapwing (6 - 2 - 2).

3 Wren,

3 Reed Bunting.

2 Buzzard.

Canada Geese.

Mallard.

Herring Gull. Common Gull. Black Headed Gull.

Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Robin.

House Sparrow. Dunnock. Blackbird. Pheasant, Crow, Jackdaw. Chaffinch.

Mixenden.

Wainstalls Rd - Cold Edge Dams - Castle Carr Road (400 yds).

Coach Road and Priestley Green

It was great to have some company on my birding outing today with my niece, Vanessa, coming along to hopefully see Woodpeckers.

We met up at Lightcliffe and after a sarnie in The Lightcliffe Tearooms for lunch, we had a meander down Coach Road to Sefton Avenue and back.

The Woodpeckers, alas, were wood pecking elsewhere I guess because we did not see or hear any.

Back at the start, Vanessa had to leave for that 4 letter word, Work.

I called at Priestley Green on my way home and walked down the bridleway to the A58 ansd back.

A quiet but enjoyable afternoon out.

Birds:-

C30 Redwing.

3 Nuthatch.

Starling, Goldfinch, Long Tailed Tit. Woodpigeon.

Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Jackdaw, Magpie, Carrion Crow.

Blackbird, Wren.

Just a Nuthatch worth a mention at Priestley Green.

Elland Bridge to Crowther Bridge (and back)

The weather according to the forecast was supposedly mild today.

I thought the weather in Bradshaw was flipping cold this morning!

Mid-afternoon I had a drive down to Elland and parked near Elland Bridge.

I had an enjoyable walk along the canal and river to Crowther Bridge before retracing my steps.

Birds:-

4 Goosander (3 Red Heads).

Dipper.

Long Tailed Tit.

Canada Geese.

Mallard.

Goldfinch.

1 Cormorant.

2 Peregrine Falcon.

4 Song Thrush.

plus others.

and a Bumble Bee.

I was shown a new driving technique here today.

I left the main Huddersfield Road at the sign for Brighouse and stopped at the junction under the concrete flyover. I indicated right for Elland and stopped on the right hand side of the road.

A car pulled up on my left, signalling left towards Brighouse - fine.

Now the new driving technique.

A third car, boy racer, pulled up on my right obviously in a hurry, so he must have had special access to the wrong side of the road.

However the guy in a fourth car coming from Brighouse signalling right (to go to Exley) did not get how important my boy racer was and was a tad perplexed to see three cars coming out of the road junction.

No problem though, boy racer , burnt some rubber and fired off in front of the oncoming vehicles - simples in it.

Bradshaw - Ogden Water

15:10 - 17:30 (Dusk).

A late outing today with lots of 'stuff' to do earlier.

The sun finally shone for while late on and the walk was quite pleasant although it got quite cool later on.

Not the best of times to visit Ogden Water - this late a lot of Gulls have been and gone.

Just the usual crew , mostly, again today but it was pleasing to see a Curlew in the Bradshaw Fields.

Birds:-

2 Pied Wagtail. 2 Pheasant. 1 Little Owl. 2 Greenfinch.

3 Black Headed Gull and c30 Common Gulls in Bradshaw Fields.

4 Canada Geese on Bradshaw Pond.

4 Goldcrest in one area around Ogden Water,

Goldfinch. Chaffinch. Mistle Thrush. Song Thrush.

4 Stock Dove.

Long Tailed Tit. Blue Tit, Great Tit. Coal Tit,

Blackbird. Dunnock, Robin.

Magpie, Carrion Crow. Jackdaw. Woodpigeon.

1 Canada Goose,Mallard, c30 Small Gulls on Ogden Water.

Curlew.

A Long Wet Birding Outing

11:40 - 16:30

It was BIG wash morning for me this morning using the white oblong whirling machine a few times.

Afterwards I decided to have an early lunch so I could enjoy a long birding extravaganza today.

(enjoy, birding and extravaganza , should be redacted from the above sentence).

I went up to and around Soil Hill Summit down to and around Ogden Water a couple of times before coming home via the farm track and fields.

I arrived at Ogden just as the rain did and it continued to rain for the next 3 hours, it eventually stopped raining at 15:15.

So boo - B****Y - hoo times two.

Birds were reluctant to appear in this wet stuff and two laps of Ogden Water produce nowt much at all.

The final hour was drier and in frustration I took a random photo of the distant Bradshaw Pond.

Low and Behold when I check this photo I had trapped an Oystercatcher in flight - well - that was a little bit of consolation anyway.

Birds:-

Bradshaw - Soil Hill  - Ned Hill Track:

Little Owl - Lower Bonnet Wall.

Greenfinch.

5 Skylark.

2 Stock Dove.

Curlew.

Chaffinch.

Dunnock.

Pied Wagtail.

Mistle Thrush.

Pheasant.

Wren.

Ogden Water - Bradshaw Farm Track and Fields:

A few Gulls included 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

c50 Small Gulls in fields off Syke Lane.

3 Pied Wagtail.

2 Mistle Thrush.

5 Song Thrush.

2 Pheasant.

Dunnock.

Little Owl - Ward's Garden.

Mallard.

Oystercatcher - Bradshaw Pond.

The iron is knocking on my cupboard door wanting to get warm.

Well it can Sod Off.

A Wet Hour At Ogden Water

14:10 - 15:15

It was a really dull morning today so I decided to throw some dosh around ALDI Clayton and fill up the cold, buzzing white oblong machines that sit brooding in my kitchen.

The afternoon turned out worse than the morning with heavy rain and a strong wind.

During what I thought was a break from the wet I drove over to Ogden Water.

The weather was very poor here with rain blown along on a strong wind.

The west side was OK with some shelter but birds were very scarce.

Birds:-

c15 Small Gulls, 5 Herring Gulls and 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull at one point.

4 Treecreeper and a few other species, but not much really.

Just a little camera today,

Local

15:30 - 17:00 ish.

A sunny and quite warm afternoon today.

Real life got in the way of birding today and I did not get out until late afternoon, when I manged a short birding walk along the local fields to Ned Hill Road.

Strangely enough I seemed to be in the only area in Yorkshire to get some fine drizzle as I walked along!

Birds:-

2 Kestrel.

2 Buzzard.

2 Little Owl (1 in the usual spot. 1 calling loudly from Ned Hill Road Area).

4 Common Gulls in the fields.

c60 Gulls > W to roost.

2 Stock Dove.

Song Thrush singing it's head off.

"It's Head Off" it sang.