Ogden Hike – LSW the hunt goes on

Ogden 9:45 – 12:45

I was left to my own devices today.

I had a long hike today in the vain hope that Green or Lesser Spotted Woodpecker would honour me with their presence.

I took the bridleway at Ogden (Back Lane?) past the old,old café buildings, now ‘reet smart like’. There were 4 Pheasant on the walls and in the fields hereabouts. Also about Chaffinch, Robin & Collared Dove.

I veered off, left, to pick up the path that runs above Ogden clough. A GSW was perched and was calling from high in the trees.  I stayed on this path for a while before dropping down to the stream. Red Grouse were calling from higher up the clough. I went downstream looking for Dipper but without success.

In the first set of bushes after the moor land finishes there were 2 Treecreeper and 3 Coal Tit.

I followed the stream to arrive at the Skirden Clough bridge and turned right, uphill, to eventually arrive at the Giant’s Tooth. A few Mallard were on the water by the bridge and a Nuthatch was calling as I neared the ‘Tooth’. Also hereabouts  a couple of Wren.

Near Giant’s Tooth a faint Bullfinch call led me to the trees above the clough, but I did not locate the bird. Also in this area of the moor a half-hearted blurb of a possible Skylark.

From the tooth I turned left, uphill, towards open moor land. This turned out to be a good move. There were 4 Red Grouse just beyond the step stile next to the 4 barred gate. The weather now was cold with the mist/low cloud coming and going and not helping the photos.

Over the stile and left brought me to an area that I have not been to before. Arriving at another stile with no obvious path ahead, I turned right to be confronted by a Roe Deer. The deer ran a few yards before stopping to access the intruder. I decided to leave the deer alone and retraced my steps to the stile and climbed the fence into the woods. A sketchy path follows a sunken way and a stream in the general direction of Ogden Water. A Kestrel and Blackbird made an appearance as I headed down towards the water.

There were 6 Coal Tit and the usual mixture of Blue and Great Tit about in the woods on my journey to the water.

Ogden Water – Bradshaw 12:45 – 14:30

A circuit of Ogden Water (with a stop for a new bottle of corporation pop and some choc choc at the visitors centre) also brought me some reward.

There were 3 ducks in the very middle of the Res. (aren’t they always). They were definitely not Mallard but I could not ID them. I took a snap anyway ( in the hope the computer would do it’s stuff later). As I walked around the circuit the ducks decided to move away but much later when I reached the far side, I noticed that they had decided to head my way. A bit of patience paid off and they turned out to be 3 Wigeon. (1 Drake). On the water there were 100+ small gulls with BHG in the majority. The rest of the circuit proved disappointing with just a Woodpecker (GSW I guess) calling and a Carrion Crow seen before I left for the Golf Course.

Very soon after leaving the water I was rewarded with a Reed Bunting in the first small bush. A Kestrel sat high in a tree in the distance and was later seen on a wall near the clubhouse.

The walk home via the path at the back of the Moorlands Pub and over the hill to Ingham Lane produced 8 Woodpigeon, 3 Goldfinch , a Greenfinch calling near Cock Hill Farm, House Sparrow and Starling.

Pool (or our version of it) tonight with neighbour John - not a bad day at all.

Got to include a Robin however bad the photo!