Ploughcroft Lane to Bradshaw

 Sue dropped me at the bottom of Ploughcroft Lane (on her way to see Emma in White Windows) so I could enjoy a birding walk home.

Although it was a cold wind, by the time I'd walked up to the top of Ringby Lane I was nice and warm.

The route follows Ringby Lane to its demise at the Queensbury boundary where it picks up the Calderdale Way and drops down Crooked Lane and Windy Bank Lane to the schools at Holdsworth. 

A good path opposite the schools goes through fields towards Bradshaw Park.

3 Calderdale Council refuse vans were on Crooked Lane removing the fly-tipped rubbish - all 3 vans were full!

Birds:

A right old struggle to find owt today.

2 Canada Geese, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Meadow Pipit, Skylark and many Crows were about all along Ringby Lane.

Going down Crooked Lane I saw a Jay in flight.

Just a Moorhen 5 Mallard, Coal Tits and a few Chaffinch and a few others was all that was on offer on the way home.

The 'highlight' of the outing was a mega distant Raptor seen, from the  Oats Royd area, very high above the Raggalds.

I could not get the bird in the camera viewfinder, so I just pointed in the general direction on full zoom and clicked.

After a lot of messing about on the laptop I managed to extract a photo of the Raptor.

Quite chuffed I got the bird at all, although apart from 'looking big' the Raptor can't be ID'd from the photo.

I though this was a Linnet at the time but now I'm unsure.

Possibly a Chaffinch

Spot the Raptor!