Friday, 27 October 2017

√Bradshaw - Soil Hill - Ogden - Kelham - Raggalds

11:50 - 16:10

A lovely day for a hike today , Walter Wall sunshine and even Soil Hill was bearable.

I've developed a nasty sore throat (stay back a bit as you read this) so I decided to go to Soil Hill for a serious cough and sputter.

Going up Bradshaw Lane the Little Owl was just discernable.

Taylor Lane sported TWO Little Owl, 6 Rooks,Kestrel and a flyover of Redwing and Fieldfare.

Soil Hill 12:35

The resident Common Gull was on the covered reservoir.
A Heron left the main track pool.
6 Goldfinch flitted about.
THREE Meadow Pipit flushed.

3 Grey Partridge flushed from the north side.

C60 Lapwing were 'miles off' at the bottom of the Shay fields.
I decided to go home, later, via the bottom road (Thornton Road) to see if owt else were with em.

A pleasing few minutes were had taking some snaps of a Pr. Stonechat flitting about in the sun.

7 Golden Plover types flew SW in 'moving' style, but I think the birds are Woodpigeon.

A Kestrel was hunting over the hill.

Coal Lane 13:05

I was a bit flummoxed for a good while as I watched a bird seen on a random scan up the fields.

Lots of photographs were taken as the bird refused to show itself and after a lot of looking and some head scratching I decided that it's a Pheasant!!

The bird kept 'fluffing'its plumage up.

From here to Ogden my FOURTH Little Owl made an appearance of the outing.

A Red Grouse flushed near Back Lane.

Ogden Water:

Full of folk here.

A sit down, A coffee (good stuff even from the vending machine here) and a good coughing bout was followed by a circuit of the water.

Nowt to write home about here today.

A good job given the state of my writing, the cost of stationery and mega cost of Postage Stamps!

1 Canada Goose, Mallards, Common, Black Headed and a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Coal Tits and 4/5 Goldcrest.

Leaving the water by the diagonal path to the car park a Treecreeper popped into view. But it would not stay still,  even though I asked it very nicely (at first).

Returning to Back Lane a Green Woodpecker called, gave me a thumbs up, and promptly peckered off before the 'click'.

I went home along the main road towards Kelham to investigate the Lapwing flock seen hours earlier.

This paid dividends with at least 4 Golden Plover in the mix.

The traffic was queued from Thornton Road to Halifax Road nose to tail making it difficult to see the birds for all the big wagons.

A really, really intelligent mini driver went towards Bradford, on the non-clogged-up side at 65 mph - no coppers about alas.

(I am turning into me Granddad).

The Kelham Farm Shop 'vegetable' patch was providing  '5 a day' for the Corvid family.

Raggalds Flood had one Black Headed Gull on my arrival and a massive four BHG on my departure.

Also along the way 3 Roe Deer.

Overall a reality enjoyable outing today.

You have got to make the most of these nice Autumn days there will be plenty of poor ones - starting tomorrow.


















Both birds





























and somewhere along the way....


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