To (Soil) Hell and back – a real old moan!

13:00 – 14:00

With the BBC weather report forecasting “an Improving picture” for this afternoon I donned the wetsuit, mask and snorkel and adjusted the weight belt and had a walk up to, and around Soil Hill.

The weather on the way up was unpleasant and the weather on the tops was awful.

A SW gale was doing its best to blow rain into places “other beers cannot reach”.

A lady was walking 2 large Alsatians up Taylor Lane, all three looked fed up.

On arrival at Soil Hill a man was walking 3 large Alsatians up the track, so I opted for the Ned Hill Track route to the top.

Neither bins nor camera left the sack for the most part.

While I was going along the north hillside 5 Fieldfare left the fields lower down and a far too cheerful, chirpy Wren was negotiating the gale by jumping about at the very bottom of a small tree.

Arriving at the middle of the main track a small bird called as it clung by its fingertips to a small branch.

I rummaged about in the sack for my camera but the bird flew off, over the top mounds before I got organised.

I followed it up on to the tops, but I could not locate the bird.

I guess it was a Meadow Pipit although the way it held on sideways to the small branch did not shout Meadow Pipit to me.

There were 3 Goldfinch up on the tops, the original bird not being one of them.

The waterproof rucksack cover was flapping about like Billy –o, so after I’d dropped some bird food on the main track I sloped off home.

Quite a few small gulls (mostly Common Gulls) were in the fields below Roper Lane.

I think I’ll take up Alsatian spotting, it’s a lot easier.

As I was cleaning the boots the rain stopped.

God,  how much moaning is that, and Christmas isn’t even here yet.

A few pics - maybe the elusive bird is in one of them and I can't see it!!

No it's not there - is it?