A Long Good Friday

Due to the threatening weather, I decided on a late start this morning. After a shopping trip for some seed and feeders, I headed to Jay House Lane, intending only to put up the feeders before heading to Scammonden to look for Stoats.
As the weather was looking pretty grim, I stayed at JHL to get some better shots of the Sparrows rather than risk a drenching at Scammonden. They were a bit more obliging today, but still managed to disappear for long periods of time.
The monotony was broken by a passing Buzzard and a solitary Lapwing intermingled with chats with the locals. According to the locals that I chatted with, the fields up there should be full of Lapwings, a comment that I have heard about other areas recently. Anyone else noticing an absence of Lapwings say, round Castle Carr or Widdop areas? Locals also commented on the absence of Yellowhammers in the area although I have no historical records of 'hammers from this site.
The highlight of my time spent here though was undoubtedly the appearance of two large lagomorphs. Whooppee! I was able to get some distant shots of the pair scampering about on the far side of a field before they disappeared. Sadly, they weren't boxing..they need a bit of warm sunshine, allegedly, before they'll box. A short while later and I was filming one of them at a frame-filling close quarters just by the hedge. Sorted!
When rain stopped play, I moved on but stopped by Avocet Works on my way back to look for Mandarin. No joy there, but the LTTs were still hard at it, and a male Goosander and a passing dipper made the stop worthwhile.
Mext, a quick leapfrog down to Cromwell Bottoms provided several singing Chiffchaffs, some displaying Dunnocks and the opportunity to film a Heron pretending to be a Kingfisher.
Whilst filming the Heron in the rain, a passing cyclist told me of a "bird with horns" on the canal up by Elland Bridge. Five minute later and I was filming a stunning Great Crested Grebe just a canal-width away. Sadly there was only one Grebe here. I half expected it to be displaying to a mate. Stunning bird nonetheless. So maybe tomorrow, I'll try for the Stoats.