Caught Out By The Draught

I was caught out by the draught this morning. I intended to walk over Soil Hill to Ogden but when I left the house in my summer 'dress' I realised that I had dropped a clanger when the cold stiff draught of 'summer' infiltrated my draught excluders.

I checked the 502 bus timetable and managed to leg it down Bradshaw Lane , with some bit of squally rain for company, in time to catch the 10:07 bus 'alighting' at Ogden.

Ogden had three seasons today - spring, summer and autumn.

The worst of the cold wind was along the promenade but the west side was sheltered and in the sun out of the wind it was quite warm.

Nothing new at Ogden really and I kept on the low path home along Syke Lane , the farms track and the fields.

Birds:-

2 Heron. Black Headed Gull. Lesser Black-backed Gull. Herring Gull.

Wren. Crow. 5 Tufted Duck. Coal Tit. Blackcap. Robin. 8 Canada Geese.

Long Tailed Tit. Willow Warbler. Chaffinch. Mallard. 2 Chiffchaff.

Blue Tit. Great Tit. Woodpigeon. Goldfinch. Magpie. 6 Swallow.

A sky full of Jackdaw.

Dunnock. Little Owl. Pheasant. 4 Stock Dove. Starling. 2 Mistle Thrush.

Kestrel.

2 Mallard Duckling in the dark north end intake bit.

Kestrel - Thanks to AC.

Fly Flatts

13:20 - 14:35

I had a drive out to Fly Flatts after lunch today - another dry, warm afternoon with a pleasant breeze.

A possibility of  Thunderstorms so when the weather changed I headed home this is not a place to be, out on the moor in a thunderstorm.

I got caught out at Gorple once, in a big wet thunderstorm , had to throw me pants away that day( not because they were wet!).

Anyway no thunderstorms this aft, here so far.

I walked the Fly Flatts public footpath along the north end of the water - there was a lot more 'juice in the pond' that I had expected with just a small amount of shoreline here and there.

It was good to be out and about on the moors with some beautiful scenery here - a real shame the place is marred by the fly tippers rubbish.

Mind you I took 4 small bags to the Halifax tip yesterday and it took me 32 minutes to get through, however I'm retired so it was no skin of my nose. (And if it was I got plenty of nose to go around).

Birds:-

Meadow Pipits in good numbers.

3 Wheatear.

Crow.

1 Common Sandpiper.

Canada Geese.

1 Pied Wagtail.

2 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

3 Stonechat.

2 Oystercatcher.

Most of the birds were miles off!!  

Local Fields

I had an hour or so up the local fields mid-afternoon today - a humid cloudy sort of day.

The usual species were seen but THREE Little Owl were very pleasing to watch.

Birds:-

Goldfinch, Greenfinch, 4 Chaffinch, Buzzard, 3 Swallow.

4 Lesser Black-backed Gull. 2 Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Meadow Pipit. Dunnock.

Robin. 2 Stock Dove. Wren. Blue Tit. Rook. Mistle Thrush.

50 plus Jackdaw.

4 Whitethroat.

Bradshaw - Soil Hill - Ogden - Bradshaw

12:35 - 17:00

A wet morning gave way to a rather pleasant blowy warm afternoon.

I enjoyed a long birding walk (4 hours plus) that included going up over Soil Hill twice, so I awarded myself a big lump of cake smothered in home made Marmalade when I got home - yummy.

Tea looks a while off so I'll still have some appetite when my chicken eventually cooks.

With the oppressive hot weather of late I've not walked over to Ogden in a while so it was nice to see Pat and Steve again who were doing an extra shift in the visitors centres 'cafe'.

No north slope today with it being a long hike for this olde giffer.

Lots of punters at Ogden and a lot less birdsong as I went around the Ogden Water circuit - but all in all not bad.

Birds:-

Greenfinch, Goldfinch, 2 Willow Warbler, Dunnock, Blackbird.

11 Swallow, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, 2 Pheasant, Crow.

6 Swift, Magpie, Lapwing, House Sparrow, 1 Skylark.

4 Stock Dove, Feral Pigeon, Meadow Pipit, 2 Herring Gull, Starling.

Coal Tit, 2 Whitethroat, 2 Kestrel, 6 Linnet, Jackdaw.

c50 Lesser Black-backed Gull on Ogden Water, c20 or so elsewhere.

4 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, 5 Black Headed Gull. Mistle Thrush.

3 Heron, 6 Drake Tufted Duck, Wren, Blue Tit. Great Tit.

Robin, Oystercatcher, Goldcrest, Buzzard, 6 Canada Geese. Mallard.

Just ONE Mallard Duckling seen!

AND A CUPLE OF PHOTOS FROM YESTERDAY EVENING:-

Thursday Evening - Local Fields

A bit of respite from the oppressive heat this evening when a cooling breeze arrived.

I had a short meander up the local fields after tea and it was good to get me boots on again.

Birds:-

5 Swallow. Goldfinch. Crow. Magpie. Greenfinch. Coal Tit. 

10 Mistle Thrush.

2 Little Owl - one in a wall.

Whitethroat. 

Oystercatcher Called.

Red Legged Partridge. Pheasant. Blue Tit. Woodpigeon.

Dunnock. Blackbird.

Lesser Black-backed Gull - mobbed by a Crow.

10  Mistle Thrush were in mown fields near the Raggalds yesterday morning.

3 Oystercatcher were in fields by the bonnet on Bradshaw Lane this morning  (Thanks Sally).

Monday Evening - Garden

It was a bit to hot to trot today (Tuesday) and also the doc. wanted to get some of my blood of a stone this afternoon.

So, I've posted a few photos taken yesterday evening as I sat on the garden bench, drinking my firkin of Wallop and Swipes and eating my curds and WHEY !!!!! 

The WHEY!!!bit was when I fell off the garden bench -  strong stuff this wallop.

Two Buzzard were circling around for a while - one was calling constantly.