Bradshaw - Ingham Lane - Soil Hill - Coal Lane - Ogden - Bradshaw

10:00 – 13:30

The usual jaunt again today – I’m getting into a rut I need to get the car out more in the New Year!

It was a cold blustery day with a near gale force wind on Soil Hill top.

As per usual this month, birds were hard to find.

The bottom of Taylor Lane held 2 Fieldfare near the Cuckoo tree.

A breezy slog up to Taylor lane top revealed a toilet brush disguised as a hedgehog!

13:25 Soil Hill

As I walked up the main track on Soil Hill, the only thing singing in the wind was the galvanised steel gate on the main track.

Then by the “Great Rock” a super looking Fieldfare was feeding on B.S’s birdseed.

As I approached, the Fieldfare was torn between eating it's fill or flying away,

Along the track just a Meadow Pipit seen in flight.

Along the north side I took a 15 minute detour down towards the pond hoping for a 2015 tick, but apart from a heart attack inducing SQUAWK from a flushed Pheasant.. ziltch.

There was nothing at all on the NK pond.

I continued  along the west side path and found it increasingly difficult to stand up with the strong gale.

There was just another airborne  Meadow Pipit or two here (not sure if I’d seen the same one twice).

Going along Ned Hill Track, Coal Lane and the plantation area to Ogden there was 1 Robin, 3 Woodpigeon & 2 Goldcrest (calling).

5 Lapwing flew towards Mixenden as I crossed the top fields to Ogden car park.

Ogden:

A 15 minute stop at the Kingfisher point produced 1 tasty packet of Walkers Cheese & Onion and a Choc, Choc bar but no Kingfisher.

Usual stuff  on and around the water - 40 small gulls, 1 LBBG, 14 Canada Goose, 2 Robin, Dunnock, Blackbird, 2 Goldcrest.

Things picked up a bit at a west side corner where an extremely fidgety Treecreeper gave me the run around for a while.

Further along a Dipper flew low across the water to land temporarily by the edge before flying off low again and landing further on and a Cormorant made an appearance.

I did not see the Dipper again and did not get a photo alas.

A second check on the Kingfisher was unsuccessful without even crisps or chocolate this time.

The walk via the ‘dell’ to union lane produced just a singing Wren.

Cow Hill Gate Lane had a flypast of 4 Goldfinch a "far off" House Sparrow was in the trees near Bradshaw School ( unless someone can turn it into something else!) and a Pied Wagtail was airborne near the Bradshaw Cricket club.

Quite a few small gulls were in the fields hereabouts and I had a nice surprise awaiting me at home with Sue, Abigail & bacon butty!

Happy New Year and as they say in the Billy Connolly appreciation society:-

May the skin of your bum never cover a Banjo. 

Taylor Lane Cuckoo Tree

Looking to Union Lane

The bridge over the stream