Soil Hill Ogden & Bradshaw

10:40

I donned the waterproofs late morning to do some penance on Soil Hill.

Just a few Blue Tit and Blackbird seen on the way up with 3 Goldfinch feeding by the roadside at the bottom of the main track and a Wren disappearing into the wall on the way up the track.

There was just a hint of some snow in the grass.

I dropped some Nyger Seed – lunch for tomorrow’s Snow Bunting.

I was having a nosey about in the strong South-westerly with some cold rain thrown in for good measure when who did I see – NK of course.

We did a quick walk around but soon headed off for Ogden via Coal Lane.

Birds were rarer than Egg and Chips on Christmas day with a few Pheasant,Jay, a few Goldfinch, Blackbirds and Robins.

A nice tasty 20 min. hail shower didn’t do anything to lift the spirits and neither did the lack of birdlife.

The water held a Cormorant, Mallard and a few small gulls.

We both walked back to Bradshaw cursing the South-Westerly wind that never seems to leave us, although today it did have some North in it at times.

We parted company at Bradshaw Church.

On the way home there were 2 Mistle Thrush and a Fieldfare in the fields.

After cleaning the boots and the waterproofs I sat down to some beans on toast and noticed , through the dining room window , C50 Canada Geese feeding in the Roper Lane fields.

For a better view I had a good scan with the bins from the bedroom window and I noticed a smaller Goose in amongst. I wondered if NK had seen them, on the way home on the bus ,but they would be partly obscured I thought.

I tackled up again and legged it up the road to see if I could ID the smaller Goose.

I got some poor pics before the sky went black and I legged it.

One good soaking was sufficient for me today -  thank you very much.

I think the Goose is a Juv. Greylag and not a Pink-Footed like I was hoping for.

The Bridleway to Taylor Lane

Soil Hill main track

Soil Hill Top

Canadas from the bedroom window