Monday 5 February 2018

√Cullingworth & Soil Hill

Cullingworth

Sue needed some knitting stuff so we headed off to the knitting / outdoor shop and café at Cullingworth.

0 degrees this morning rising to a roasty toasty 1 degrees by the time we got home and another dull day.

We stopped near the café, to photo some very distant Gulls in the fields.

Later we had a smashing stroll along the cycle/old railway track across Hewenden viaduct and a look at Hewended Reservoir.

I am not sure if there is a path near the reservoir on this side but there is a path that doubles back to go under the viaduct. This path only nears the viaduct at the end near the arches, which is a shame.

The return route went under the viaduct to follow the stream to the road. A left turn up the road is soon followed by another left turn that returns to the old railway track.

The path by the Viaduct is a real gem, a lovely place to stop for a butty break in summer.
It was very boggy today but nevertheless a lovely area.

Birds:-

The Gulls by the café were 'miles away' so apart from Common and Black Headed I won't venture to ID any of the larger Gulls.

The cycle track had lots of Blue, Great and Long Tailed Tits.
Great Tits were very active chasing about.

Hewenden Reservoir.

2 Mute Swan,4 Cormorant, Mallard, Common and Black Headed Gulls  with a few Larger Gulls.
Pr. Goosander, Moorhen,  Pr.Goldeneye.

Beautiful birds, Goldeneye, and my first Goldeneye this year.

3 frustratingly distant unid's, one possibly a Raven.

Probably other wildfowl here but with limited access it's difficult to view the water.

On the way home a check of a mostly frozen Raggalds Flood found 3 Black Headed Gulls on it.

Soil Hill

14:25 - 15:55

A Kestrel was on the power lines, outside my window, as I slurped my lunchtime soup.

I thought I'd give Soil Hill a try for Snow Bunting -
It's about that time of the year, for one to appear.
(Wow that rhymes - I'll have to remember that).

A small flock of Lapwing were seen on the Roper Lane fields.
A possible singing Mistle Thrush, heard from Taylor Lane, belted out 2 bars (if that's the right terminology) before packing it in - I did not eyeball the bird alas.

Plenty of pretty 'white' scenery on the Hill, but tough going on the bird front.
A trudge in the snow around the contour footpath revealed ... well lets not dwell on that!

On the return leg I picked out a very distant Taylor Lane Little Owl.

Passing Dan B's house a Green Woodpecker flew over his garden!


Later, washing up Sue's food processor accessories, a Fieldfare landed in the tree opposite our kitchen!


Maybe I should spend more time looking out of the window and sell me old boots?


Hewenden Reservoir:-




















Soil Hill Area:






Well - at least I got one photo of a bird up here!!!

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