Fly-flats(fleeting visit) / Holdsworth Walk/ Garden/ Local and Thursday Evening Local

I had a sit in the garden contemplating me navel with my winter coat and gloves on this cold morning.

I did actually see some birds as well.

For lunch we had a run out to Wildes café at cross roads, beyond Denholme.

We came home via Fly Flats (with a bit of persuasion ) along Sue's least favourite road in the world - the Oxenhope to Wainstalls road.

I had a very quick walk through  the north end stile down to the waters' edge but there is no shoreline and just Canada Geese here.

A scan  across the water, into the glare, revealed a flying Common Sandpiper.

I legged it back to Sue in the car and although we stopped a couple of times along the road to check the water the glare and the distance , kyboshed any half decent photos.

Mid-afternoon I had a walk through Bradshaw Park to Holdsworth and back.

Nothing special seen but 2 Oystercatcher passed overhead twice.

The sky came really, really (that's two really's -  that is) dark so I legged it double time up Bradshaw Lane but I needn't have bothered with only 3 drips and a dollop dropping.

Birds:

Garden:

Curlew unless it's not!, Mistle Thrush. Coal Tit.

Fly Flats:

3 Red Legged Partridge.

Mallard.

2 Large Gulls with 1 very Large Gull - pictures rubbish.

Canada Geese.

Common Sandpiper.

Skylark, Meadow Pipit.

Lapwing.

Odd ball White Goose with probably 2 Greylag Geese.

Holdsworth Walk:

Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Long Tailed Tit.

2 maybe 4 Oystercatcher.

Bradshaw Fields p.m.

The usual late evening stroll up the bog path to the fields.

Linnet, Pheasant, Wheatear.

Still hanging on here was the Ring Ouzel that clicked / clacked from a tree before flying into another -  then off somewhere else!

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Thursday Evening Local:

A cold walk up ' The Bog' Thursday evening was a quiet affair.

Birds:-

Wheatear (took some finding).

Linnet. Mistle Thrush.

Pied Wagtail.

4 Meadow Pipit.

2 Mallard.

A Large Duck ? overhead was to quick for me!!

The weather is to warm up at the weekend so something juicy might arrive?

Coal Tit 

Thursday Evening:

Large Duck? No Idea

Large Duck? still No Idea!!

Today:

Garden Above.

Fly Flats Below.

Holdsworth Below:

Bradshaw Fields Evening Below:

Whiteholme and Blackstone Edge Reservoirs (Twite)

I was given a free birding pass today with Sue having other priorities.

I took the opportunity to drive over to Whiteholme Reservoir.

The drive is a long one but I always enjoy the walk across the moorland on the good track to Whitehome - well nearly always.

I parked a little way down the Mytholmroyd "wavy" M1 road in a layby of sorts.

Today the weather was exceptionally cold for late April.

 Having not seen many birds on the walk along the track, I was looking forward to eyeballing the reservoir area.

The water is very, very high and a long leisurely walk along the west side was really disappointing.

While I sat behind the "stone tower thing" at the far end (trying to keep warm, while scoffing my delicious butties of ham, tomato and mustard - made with my fair hand ) I wondered "what am I doing here" having not seen a Wader,

A very faint call might have been a Redshank and might not have been!

I was going to retrace my steps to the car,  but I decided to turn the "birding walk" into just a "walk to warm up", so I set off in a light sleet shower along the west path that loops round south and then south east to end up at Blackstone Edge Reservoir.

This turned out to be a good move.

Soon after leaving the reservoir I thought I heard a Twite call but I did not see the bird(s).

I know from the Calderdale grapevine that there are a few Twite hereabouts so the call was encouraging.

When I arrived at Blackstone Edge Reservoir I heard Twite calls nearby and I was very, very lucky to see two Twite here - bingo - a first for me in Calderdale, although I've seen Twite before, mostly at the coast.

The birds were quite kind, landing nearby, disappearing but returning a few times.

A memorable outing.

Birds:-

Whiteholme Reservoir.

(Tough Going).

2 Skylark, Meadow Pipits, 2 Raven, 2 Red Grouse.

1 Stonechat.

Possible Redshank (heard).

2 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

2 Mallard.

4 Canada Geese.

Blackstone Edge Reservoir.

2 Twite.

3 Wheatear.

Nice to see huggings of Meadow Pipits along the walk.

Curlew.

4 Common Sandpiper.

Drake Teal - very distant.

The bird to the far left - Canada Goose?

A few extra Twite Photos:-

Shelf Woods / Soil Hill Walk / Local Fields

We enjoyed an exercise walk through Shelf woods after lunch today.

Another very cold day for so late into April.

A 'tad' muddy in places and not much to see really.

A Swallow and a Jay made an appearance with some of the usual crew.

On our way home, Sue dropped me at the Raggalds so I could take a nosy at Soil Hill via Percy Road.

2 Lapwing were on an ever dwindling Raggalds Flood.

It was quite cold along the north side of the hill but on the other side, amazingly quite mild.

I did not venture down Ned Hill Track just stayed on the top and went home via Taylor Lane.

Birds - Soil Hill  - Bradshaw Walk.

3 Buzzard, 3 Curlew, 3 Skylark.

2 Willow Warbler.

2 Pheasant, Pied Wagtail. Canada Goose.

1 Meadow Pipit.

Swallow.

Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Bradshaw Fields:

After tea I had yet another late evening stroll 'up the bog'.

The birds were kind to me this evening when  a Ring Ouzel hiding under a wall flew into a nearby tree and called a couple of times.

Birds:

Ring Ouzel.

Lapwing, Stock Dove, 3 Swallow.

Wheatear.

Chiffchaff, Pheasant, 2 Drake Mallard.

Barn Owl, 2 Little Owl.

 (Fox - "crying" ).