Ogden to Bradshaw

An early start today , the alarm, alarmed me, at 6:15a.m - UGH I am not a morning person.

It was 0 degrees and  frozen snow on the car took some shifting

The usual traipse about this afternoon with one lap of Ogden Water( One lap's plenty, it don't taste that good) before walking home via Syke Lane, Crabtree Hall Farm etc.

Quite a windy outing and it snowed for most of the time with one heavy shower, not sticking to the deck, just to me!!

Not many folk about which suits me just fine (miserable sod).

Some loud bangs were coming from the general direction of the Withens?

Birds:-

5 Black Headed Gull, 2 Common Gull. These dwindled to one of each at one point.

A Kingfisher was playing hide and seek along the north / west tree line.

I counted to 50 and said "Ready or not, here I come" and manged to spot it.

It took one look at me and scarpered.

2 Treecreeper and a Coal Tit were within touching distance,

But "the weather" NOT my poor camera skills prevented me from getting a decent photo.

A Raven called from high over the north end conifers.

A possible Redshank called and it would appear, from the call, to be flying N towards Fly Flats (ish).

The bird only called once and remained unseen - it's "a month or two" since I've heard a Redshank call so I could well be mistaken, so I'll have to let that one go.

After a few minutes I heard the unmistakable noisy call of an Oystercatcher.

This time I picked out the bird in the bins to the south as it zoomed past, high > north east.

The walk from Ogden to Bradshaw was a windy, snowy affair. 

At least when I got to Ned Hill bottom the wind and snow were behind me.

A few birds were distant on feeders hidden in a hedge as I passed by the farm buildings.

Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Bullfinch and Goldfinch were here.

2 Stock Dove flushed from a barn here and 2 Little Owl were seen a little further along in the usual spot.

Earlier, on our return journey from a traffic jammed up trip to Trust Ford Huddersfield, hawk-eye Sue spotted a Common Buzzard (that I'd written off as a Crow!) over the Coley Green / Hipperholme area. 

A small consolation to a horrible journey.

Oystercatcher