Southowram to Brighouse Walk / Local Fields p.m.

Another cold, dry bright-ish day today - minus 1 on the car as we drove to Brighouse via Halifax M&S.

From Brighouse we were very lucky catching the Southowram minibus almost immediately.

We got off at St. Anne's church and walked down through the woods to Cromwell Bottom N.R cafe.

A piece of fruit cake, a coffee and a natter with Kevin ( a pal of mine from my Brown Horse Days) later....  Sue headed off to Brighouse along the canal whereas I went t'other way towards the weir.

I promised I would meet up with her in Spoons in just over an hour.

I walked along the river and canal and approaching the ski-lake I  realised I had dropped a glove!

The Glove Saga.

I decided to retrace my steps and try and find my glove (£3 a pair from Boyes, Brighouse! but...poor people have poor ways).

I did find "the glove!" in brambles near my earlier impromptu call of nature stop (old geezer, what I am).

This diversion put me behind schedule for my promised meeting time at Spoons so....

I moved along apace and reaching the Ski-lake railings fired off some quick photos of birds as I gawped through the railings for 10 mins or so.

The photos included a family of Mute Swan, way over to my right,  north? end of the water.

Time passes......

Late afternoon and as I am waking through the local fields, a Calderdale WhatsApp message from AC reports Whooper Swans at Cromwell Bottom.

Um.. I think......

I look at the photos and yep ,  3 of my Mutes are Whoopers.. oops.

I would have seen them on my laptop later anyway, but if I'd have been a bit more diligent I could have put them out on the WhasApp App sooner!

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Late afternoon I did my usual bog hop to Ned Hill Road bottom and back, and it was pretty flipping cold now!

Birds:

Cromwell Bottom:

4 Whooper Swan.

1 Mute Swan.

5 Goldeneye (2 Drake).

Buzzard.

3 Tufted Duck.

1 Drake Goosander.

Cormorant.

Coot.

Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull.

Local Fields:

5 Red Legged Partridge.

Kestrel.

1 Meadow Pipit.

2 Little Owl.

2 Pheasant.

3 Stock Dove.

c400 Gull all high > East seen in a short time - going to roost presumably.

Cromwell Bottom.

Local Fields: