Bradshaw - Soil Hill Circular

 I had a walk up to and over Soil Hill and back via Matthew's Farm and East View Farm.

It was flipping cold and very windy along Soil Hill top, keeping most birds silent and unseen!

Lower down things improved a bit in the sunshine.

Birds:-

No Little Owl(s) again! After some lengthy scans.

Soil Hill was quiet although I stuck to the contour path for the most part.

A Moorhen and 2 Mallard were on the NK pond.

A group of Herring Gulls were seen along Taylor Lane and a few flew past, seen from Soil Hill Top.

1 Meadow Pipit heard and a slight burble that may have been a Skylark or may not.

Ned Hill Lane - Farm Track etc.

A distant Buzzard was being mobbed by a crow beyond Stoney Royd Farm at the bottom of Ned Hill Rd.

A few Common Gulls about.

A Mistle Thrush was in the farm fields.

The usual Jackdaw crew were here.

A few other species but I found it hard going today.

Taking me boots off outside the house I grape vined 2 Raven calling and chasing each other way off over Rope Lane towards the Raggalds.

Looking at the tail shape on the distant photos, though, I think one or maybe both birds are Carrion Crows?

Although I thought Carrion Crows would not be fighting one another?

Distant Buzzard

Carrion Crow, Raven, or one of each:-

Coach Road, Lightcliffe and Raggalds Flood

A squally, windy morning here in Bradshaw, so I had a run down to Lightcliffe for my exercise walk after lunch.

Just a few spots of rain here, but a very dull day.

It was good to have a short chat with M.S. and 'His Boss' when they pulled up in the car next to me to say hello.

Birds:-

Coach Road:

Tough going, but enough to keep the interest alive.

3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

2 way across the other side of the golf course, high in a tree.

and a third bird, that was drumming from a nearby rotten tree. 

This bird flew off just as I arrived at the tree.

Only 2 Nuthatch seen today.

Others included Long Tailed, Coal, Great and Blue Tit.

Chaffinch, 2 Stock Dove, Many Woodpigeon.

2 Mistle Thrush, Goldfinch, Robin.

Blackbird.

A good few Jackdaw and a few other sp.

Raggalds Flood:

I had a look at the flood on the way past.

The Pink Footed Goose was still in residence.

It looks to me that it might have damaged its right wing?

I wonder if it's hit something on it's fly past.

The water is fast disappearing here, and it will probably have gone by tomorrow.

Drumming Woodpecker

Tomorrow morning's sky - today

Both Woodpeckers - very distant.

And cropped individually - below

Not Great!!

I can still remember 'The Coast' just.

Damaged Wing?

Ploughcroft Lane to Bradshaw / Raggalds flood

Sue dropped me at the bottom of Ploughcroft Lane (on her way to drop some toiletries off for Emma) and allow me a nice walk home.

A tough climb up the lane was followed by some more uphill to Ringby Top.

By the time I got to the top I had a right sweat on - I had on my winter woolies -  with the sun shining.

It was all downhill via Crooked Lane, to beyond Holdsworth where it was a pleasant flat walk through the fields to home.

Crooked Lane is part of the Calderdale Way, long distance path, and it is a real eyesore, with masses of rubbish tipped in several places along its length and it stinks!

Not too long ago it was a great sight to see on the walk, with some lovely cobble stones, a great shame it looks this bad.

Birds:

Ringby Lane to Crooked Lane bottom:

Disappointing along Ringby Lane.

Just some of the Crow family:

Karen, Jack, Jay, Rookie and Maggie, if you get my drift.

and a Dunnock and Blackbird  - no Gulls.

In fact very few Gulls seen throughout the afternoon.

Crooked Lane bottom - Holdsworth:

At the bottom of Crooked Lane a solitary Crow was mobbing a Sparrowhawk, very high in the blue sky, with 2 Gulls floating about in the mix.

Some weird colours of the Crow in the photo.

Holdsworth to Oats Royd:

Green Woodpecker.

2 Mistle Thrush.

Rook gathering nesting material.

 Oats Royd to Home:

6 Greenfinch.

Chaffinch etc in the park.

A Little Owl called from near 'it's usual spot' but I did not eyeball it.

Am I losing my Little Owl Mojo?

Raggalds Flood:

1 Pink Footed Goose.

1 Curlew

1 Pied Wagtail.

1 Black Headed Gull.

The PFG and Curlew disappeared after a while, so I did not grapevine that they had gone, in case they returned - and they did  later(DBr).

P.s looks to be a Raven in the Sparrowhawk mob?

(Final pic).

Soil Hill (seen from Thornton Rd) and Bridleway Nearby

 A walk from Denholme Velvets area car park this morning, along Thornton Rd to look at the Shay Fields below Soil Hill before retracing my steps to follow a bridleway to the old Abattoir and back.

Mild and calm with some brightness.

A slow start with some scanning of the Shay Fields revealing just 1 Stock Dove, 3 Skylarks and a Pheasant.

The bridleway walk started off slow as well with most birds seen on the return leg.

Skylarks singing was a nice accompaniment.(7 seen in all).

Plenty of Gulls , high and distant > S throughout.

A call of "ping" .... "ping" .... "ping" was followed by the flushing of 2 Partridge species near my path.

They flew off, silently, low. Landing 100 yards away out of sight.

Grey Partridge?

Nearing the Abattoir ruin, the farmers blue water pipe, was overflowing from a metal trough.

2 farmers were in a boggy adjacent field, so I had a walk over to tell them about the leak.

This proved a good move because first one then a second then a third Snipe flushed from nearby.

They all rose high and headed away so not Jacks.

Other birds about were 2 Reed Buntings, 2 Meadow Pipit, 1 Lapwing and my first Curlew of the year with 2 feeding in the fields.

A Little Owl called from near a farm - not seen and there were some Canada Geese on the move with 7 + 2 + 2 seen.

A 2 hour garden watch this afternoon brought with it the usual Gulls, Woodpigeons and Crows with 2 Heron and 6 or so Canada Geese.

One of the Canada Geese had extensive bright white on each wing.

Covering probably a third of the wing.

I did get a photo but its from behind the bird and its pretty awful!

A wet period of weather this evening and overnight, might bring some Owls out during the daylight hours tomorrow?

1st Snipe

2nd Snipe.

They move fast!

Canada Goose with 'white' wings