Sunday 21 February 2021

Soil Hill (seen from Thornton Rd) and Bridleway Nearby

 A walk from Denholme Velvets area car park this morning, along Thornton Rd to look at the Shay Fields below Soil Hill before retracing my steps to follow a bridleway to the old Abattoir and back.

Mild and calm with some brightness.

A slow start with some scanning of the Shay Fields revealing just 1 Stock Dove, 3 Skylarks and a Pheasant.

The bridleway walk started off slow as well with most birds seen on the return leg.

Skylarks singing was a nice accompaniment.(7 seen in all).

Plenty of Gulls , high and distant > S throughout.

A call of "ping" .... "ping" .... "ping" was followed by the flushing of 2 Partridge species near my path.

They flew off, silently, low. Landing 100 yards away out of sight.

Grey Partridge?

Nearing the Abattoir ruin, the farmers blue water pipe, was overflowing from a metal trough.

2 farmers were in a boggy adjacent field, so I had a walk over to tell them about the leak.

This proved a good move because first one then a second then a third Snipe flushed from nearby.

They all rose high and headed away so not Jacks.

Other birds about were 2 Reed Buntings, 2 Meadow Pipit, 1 Lapwing and my first Curlew of the year with 2 feeding in the fields.

A Little Owl called from near a farm - not seen and there were some Canada Geese on the move with 7 + 2 + 2 seen.

A 2 hour garden watch this afternoon brought with it the usual Gulls, Woodpigeons and Crows with 2 Heron and 6 or so Canada Geese.

One of the Canada Geese had extensive bright white on each wing.

Covering probably a third of the wing.

I did get a photo but its from behind the bird and its pretty awful!

A wet period of weather this evening and overnight, might bring some Owls out during the daylight hours tomorrow?



1st Snipe


2nd Snipe.
They move fast!





Canada Goose with 'white' wings





 

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