Bradshaw - Soil Hill Top - Ogden Water - Bradshaw Fields

13:10 - 16:40

A much improved afternoon, weather wise, dry with sunny periods.

On Soil Hill Top, however, the wind speed was probably in excess of 40 mph - kiboshing the job a bit.

In contrast my Ogden Water circuit was quite warm and pleasant.

Going by today's bird experience, if I was a country and western singer, I'd have the stage name "Slim Pickings".

At one point all the 'roosting' Gulls went skyward and landed on the water - but I did not eyeball the reason.

Birds:-

Bradshaw - Soil Hill.

House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail.

5 Skylark flushed from Soil Hill Top.

A few Meadow Pipit bobbing about.

Ogden Water to Home.

c160 Small Gulls.

c120 Large Gulls.

2 Tufted Duck.

5 Cormorants. 2 Pied Wagtail. 2 Chiffchaff.

Long Tailed Tits 'plentiful' contact calling all along the east side bushes.

Pheasant.

Little Owl.

(Fox).

And a few of the regulars.

A couple of Skylark photos:-

This looks a bit Reed Bunting-esque but I think it's a trick of the light?

Ringstone Reservoir

16:15 - 17:15

I had a visit to make White Windows Care Home this afternoon and afterwards I decided to check out Ringstone Reservoir where last week I saw a Knot.

I've just checked my records and I did not realise that last week's  Knot was a Calderdale first for me.

Today Ringstone was extremely windy and cool with large dark clouds about.

I stopped it raining by donning my waterproof trousers.

I did a walk along the west side wall to the end where I dawdled about for quite a while.

On my arrival at the reservoir gate , Canada Geese took to the sky and left.

Very soon after a large flock of Lapwing and c130 mostly Black Headed Gulls took to the air, flew around erratically and landed way off at the east side.

The Great Crested Grebe was asleep on the water, a Cormorant dropped by and 2 Pied Wagtail and a pair of Mallard were seen.

On my way home I stopped on the east side (where the wind was even stronger) to get a better view of the Lapwing, but again, they all took to the sky and  the sun came out putting the birds in silhouette.

Not a memorable visit (not like last week).

Bradshaw Fields to Ogden Water and Back Same Route

9:20 - 12:35

A breezy, damp, dull sort of outing which tried to brighten up but did not try too hard.

I had a walk along the local fields through the buildings at Crabtree Hall Farm along Syke Lane and around Ogden Water - back the same way.

Along Syke Lane B.S. waved from his car having done his Ogden shift.

Pink Footed Geese were on the move with a small skein over head just after Ward's View house heading West-ish towards Ogden Theses were picked up by B.S. a few minutes later.

A second skein were very distant going west as I looked south from near Ned Hill Road bottom and a third skein soon followed these but they were immediately lost in the low clouds.

Ogden Water was much as usual bird wise.

The coffee and Kit-Kat went down a treat (well not a treat more a Kit Kat ) at the visitors centre.

Having nothing at all to do this afternoon I though I'd happily wile my time away trying to renew my car and house insurance and then do my blog.

After a couple of frustrating hours I ended up no better off with the new quotes, than I had been with my original insurance quotes and so I spent an age 'talk-typing' to and agent trying to pay the blasted original quotes.

After going through the quote several times to confirm things, I was sent a link.

"I'll send you a link - Just click on this and follow the payment instructions - bye" said the 'talk-typist".

So I clicked on the link and  the link disappeared up its own rectum or somewhere just as inaccessible.

So I then phoned up to pay the thing -  and answering all the robots questions in the wrong order on purpose , I got to talk to some human guy who was looking out his office window at a sunny Table Mountain in South Africa.

Fortunately his link and the accompanying bank link worked fine.

What a pleasurable experience.

Roll on 100% AI - can't wait.

or - is it me?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH.

Birds:-

Meadow Pipit.

Little Owl,

c183 (27,c120,c36 Pink Footed Geese).

2 Stock Dove.

1 Swallow.

3 Nuthatch.

c30 Small and c120 Large Gulls.

4 Cormorant.

2 Pied Wagtail.

2 Canada Geese.

Kestrel.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

2 Chiffchaff.

Little Grebe.

Buzzard.

Goldcrest.

A small flock of smaller Birds a quiet call - not  like Goldfinch calls - but I'm not clever enough to say what they are - see 2 poor photos.

Second Skein:-

Small Birds Flock:-

Maybe this afternoon's rain will make a difference.

Ogden Water

 13:00 - 15:40

A mild , breezy ,very showery day today but I escaped very lightly at Ogden this afternoon with just on short sharp shower during my walk about.

Water is pouring in to the reservoir but has not had much impact on the vast exposed shoreline as yet.

Birds:-

Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, c30 Long Tailed Tit.

4 Usual species of Gull as far as I could see.

c130 Large Gulls. c100 Small Gulls.

Heron, 2 Pied Wagtail.

A Buzzard put a lot of the Gulls up.

Chaffinch, 2 Chiffchaff, Goldfinch.

Wren, Blackbird, Robin.

Meadow Pipit.

2 Kestrel.

3 Cormorant.

(Along the way a Hare was seen).

Still waiting for that elusive rare Wader here.

Gulls at Ogden Water.

Bradshaw & Soil Hill

13:30 - 16:00

I was caught out yet again by the hot weather and spent most of my outing carrying a bag full of clothes!

Usual stuff - Taylor Lane - Soil Hill - Ned Hill Track - Bradshaw.

Nothing new on offer alas.

I went 'half way' down the north slope but with 'weeds' at head height (3 feet) and too much perspiration I turned back.

A calling Chiffchaff accompanied my tuneful grunt on the way back up.

Birds:-

2 Swallow.

Kestrel.

C30 Goldfinch.

c20 Meadow Pipit.

c20 Linnet.

(A possible Stonechat on soil hill east side wall was away before I could see it properly,

I did hang around a good while but the miserable sod did not reappear).

3 Skylark.

3 Grey Partridge

1 Red Legged Partridge

Chiffchaff.

Stock Dove.

Plus a few regulars.

Ringstone Reservoir - Barkisland

16:30 - 17:15

I had a visit to White Windows Care Home this afternoon and later on I took the opportunity to have a squint at Ringstone Reservoir.

It was very windy and I did get clobbered a bit by a couple of showers but with the right gear on it was ok.

Not a lot happening early on with the 'resident' Great Crested Grebe on the water and little else.

I then saw a very pale long-ish legged Wader way off at the north end of the west side bathing,  that looked like a Knot.

It was quite confiding but I did not get too close so as not to flush it in case any other birder turned up. Anyway I did get a good photograph using the Nikon P950's huge zoom.

On a sad note there was a large dead bird half way along on the water's edge , below the wall.

Perhaps a Heron? not sure.

I've had a pretty poor birding year so far - maybe this will be the turning point.

Birds:-

KNOT.

2 Mallard.

Great Crested Grebe.

3 Pied Wagtail.

c105 Canada Geese.

Moorhen.

Small contingent of Gulls way over on the NE side.

Still quite a bit of shoreline.