A Very Enjoyable Saunter

8:35 - 14:35

6 Hours out and about today on a great day for walking - sunny with a lovely refreshing breeze.

I had not been out birding for a few days so I was in the mood to stop and linger a bit.

Abi slept over Friday and Saturday and stopped most of Sunday as well.

On Friday evening, after devouring a huge meal in the Raggalds Inn for tea, she decided to make a sponge cake.

It took visits to 3 shops before she was set up with all the right ingredients.

Not being a baker myself  my cupboards seemed to be a bit lacking.

On Saturday Abi made a Chicken Curry which again was quite an experience (her recipe .

has 18 ingredients!).

On top of the baking and cooking we also had a couple of visits to Bradshaw Park with Sue's Rounders bat (Made with proper wood where the  handle had been  chamfered into the body by a fancy joint and the whole handle had some thick string stuff wrapped around it  - the bat  was probably 50 years old).

These rounders episodes were not a problem at all for me in the "Great Heat May 2026".

(I've probably got a "not" in the previous sentence by mistake).

Today I did the usual hike along the Bradshaw fields and through the farms to Ned Hill Road and along Ogden Lane, around Ogden Water to stop at the cafe for a natter and a coffee.

One of the ladies there told me this joke:

Question: What is E,T. short for?

Answer: Because he has little legs.

On again up Ned Hill Road over Soil Hill and down the North Slope to the first tree line.

Home was via Taylor Lane.

There are some free household items available again at the start of Soil Hill Mast Track.

It was nice have a quick natter with NK who I bumped into at Ogden.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was hammering on a Blue Tit Nest Box looking for an egg sandwich.

3 Mallard ducklings looked very venerable.

Birds:-

Wren, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Red Legged Partridge.

Little Owl, 4 Whitethroat, Starling, Blackbird, 2 Curlew. 

Robin, Magpie, c10 Linnet, 6 Swallow, Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, 1 Mistle Thrush, Mallard, Willow Warbler.

Grey Wagtail, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, c10 Blackcap, Blue Tit, Great Tit.

PIED FLYCATCHER, Dunnock, 1 Tufted Duck, Bullfinch, House Sparrow.

Pheasant, Grey Wagtail, Lapwing, Coal Tit, 2 Oystercatcher (Soil Hill).

3 Skylark, 3 Meadow Pipit, Canada Goose, Herring Gull, Greenfinch.

Stock Dove, Feral Pigeon. Goldfinch. Moorhen. Heron.

AND ...... Some photos taken from the garden during the "Great Heat May 2026".

 

Bradshaw - Soil Hill - Ogden (SPECIAL) - Bradshaw

   13:15 - 17:00

The weather was awkward today - the forecast this afternoon had a 40% chance of rain so "Mr, Glass Half Empty" donned his waterproof trousers.

It was quite cool early on and a strong wind on Soil Hill Top (No North Slope today) was disappointing.

Ogden Lane and the "cafe" were open and apparently had not been shut for the 4 weeks that was shown on signage early on.

I enjoyed a laugh with the volunteer ladies in the cafe as I  filled me pack with excess clothes including me waterproof trousers.

My KitKat and coffee went down a treat.

There is a small amount of shoreline now so there might be a chance of a Wader or three.

The water today was very quiet with very few Mallards and a few Large Gull coming in to spruce up before leaving again.

I struck GOLD however halfway around the west side path when a bird call that was unusual had me stop in my tracks.

The bird took some finding but it was very kind to me and sang for England until I eventually eyeballed it - a PIED FLYCATCHER.

This bird was a real bonus for me - the last few I have seen were originally found by DJS so it was pleasing to find "one of me own".

This was a real spirit lifter.

Birds:-

Bradshaw Lane - Soil Hill - Ned Hill Track.

4 Swallow. 4 Skylark. 2 Curlew. 3 Pheasant. 2 Whitethroat. 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

5 Meadow Pipit, 7 Linnet. 2 Lapwing. 3 Blackbird. 2 Canada Geese, 2 Willow Warbler.

Ned Hill Road - Ogden Water.

1 Pied Flycatcher.

1 Mistle Thrush.

Grey Wagtail.

1 Bullfinch.

5 Swallow.

12 Willow Warbler.

4 Mallard.

2 Heron.

Pr. Tufted Duck.

10 Lesser Black-backed Gill and 3 Herring Gull at one point.

Pied Wagtail.

Green Woodpecker top of NE woods.

2 Blackcap.

Coal Tit.

Farms / Fields.

13 Magpie all together on the hillside.

2 Stock Dove.

2 Swallow.

2 Meadow Pipit.

and a few other usual species throughout.

Fly Flatts ( Ruff Dip )

14:00 - 15:30

With an excellent find by B.S.  of a Ruff at Fly Flatts this morning, I pondered whether to go and twitch it. 

The weather forecast was mixed but promised better weather in the afternoon so after lunch I had a drive over.

This place is quite vast and only accessible by the public at the north end.

Fly Flatts can destroy the soul or brighten your spirits - today the sun shone, there was a pleasant breeze and a few Waders and Raptors about and some absolutely beautiful moorland scenery (in my eyes anyway).

So today was a spirit lifter (bart whiskey).

No Ruff seen today but you have to take the " Ruff with the smooth" ho ho ho.

Birds:-

1 Red Kite.

3 Pied Wagtail.

2 Buzzard.

1 Kestrel.

Raven.

2 Curlew.

4 Oystercatcher.

3 Lapwing.

Dunlin.

2 Red Grouse.

2 Redshank.

Skylark.

4 Meadow Pipit.

2 Wheatear.

2 Common Sandpiper.

2 Reed Bunting.

Some more very, very poor photo's

Ringstone

15:40 - 17:00

I slipped up a bit with the weather today, struggling to find some birding enthusiasm after Soil Hill not producing much, so while the sun shone this morning I went to Tesco's Queensbury to up my vittles supply.

Later I sat in the garden supping coffee and doing the crossword.

I scanned the sky now and again and this paid off when I spotted a Red Kite, high , distant, to the south of me. I tried for a photograph but failed to pick it out in the viewfinder and I could not pick it out with the bins again. I am happy it was a Red Kite, however.

After lunch, crossword done, I sat and read my new detective novel.

The weather deteriorated and sent me inside.

Eventually boredom took over and I managed to frame me sen and get my fat behind in gear and drive over to check out Ringstone Reservoir at Barkisland.

The weather here was very poor with drizzle of  varying strengths throughout.

After an hour and having seen nothing spec-tack-u-lar I decided to call it a day.

Just I was about to leave the reservoir wall for my car a bird flitted about on the cobbles - a Yellow Wagtail.

It stayed a bit before flying off. I stayed a bit longer and another look behind the big stome circular structure revealed two Yellow Wagtail but they flushed immediately , so I did not get a picture of the second bird but it looked like the same sex as the first.

Birds:

2 Yellow Wagtail.

2 Great Crested Grebe,

2 Pied Wagtail.

2 Swift.

20+ Swallow.

Skylark.

2 Oystercatcher

36 Lesser Black-backed Gull at one point.

2 Herring Gulls.

2 Lapwing.

2 Meadow Pipit - One carrying nesting material.

Mallard.

Many Carrion Crow - distant in the north field with a few Rooks.

Bradshaw - Soil Hill (Fri)

12:35 - 15:05

A bright sunny morning had me washing 'me smalls' so I could use solar power to dry 'em.

After my usual champagne lunch with Heinz baked beans and sausage followed by a helping of spotted Dick I did my, now, usual trek again up Bradshaw Lane to Soil Hill hoping for a new Warbler species.

Again there was a strong cold WNW wind on the hill top. The bottom of the north slope was cool and a bit calmer so I stood about there for a while.

A few Willow Warblers sang and the odd Whitethroat chipped in now and again but nothing new again today.

Birds:-

3 Curlew. 4 Meadow Pipit, 7 (3,3,1) Swift. 3 Blackbird.

c10 Linnet - but probably lots more as they were calling from all over the shop.

Mallard. Lapwing. 3 Pheasant. 3 Swallow. 2 Canada Geese.

4 Willow Warbler.

6 Whitethroat.

2 Wren. 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Mistle Thrush. Chaffinch. 2 Dunnock. Greenfinch.

Garden Later:

1 Swift. 4 Swallow.

The View From Soil Hill's West Side.