Watchpoint 15-04-2005

Members only watchpoint 15-04-2005
Friday 15th April 2005
0840 – 1020hr
Weather and Sky:
A static grey and bitterly cold morning with biting north-easterly wind and a little drizzle / sleet. No rise in temperatures at all throughout. Some rain overnight and ground very wet. Wind: initially NNE F4 @ 0630, remaining similar well into the morning but by 1000hr it had increased to NNE F5. Temp: initially 4 dp 3 @ 0630hr and remaining similar throughout. Temperature at watchpoint variable +1.4 to +2.4 degC throughout. Precipitation: frequent drizzle and increasing sleet. Visibility: initially +53km NNW (Ingleborough), 64km max (Drax, upper Humber) and remaining similar throughout, except to the ENE c19km with onset of showers. Cloud: low stratus 8ok, with no change locally throughout, base however quite high and stable @ c2000ft+ with no blocking at all. Clean edge to stratus visible to the north-west with Bowland Fells, Settle area, Ingleborough etc often brilliantly illuminated with sunlight. Pressure: rising overnight and throughout the morning with 1004 @ 0630 and 1007 by 1100hrs.

Bitterly cold, easterly blocking? weather seemingly playing its part, with very few birds moving in the sky at all. An odd but interesting selection of birds today. Only fourteen Meadow Pipits were seen going north and no wagtails at all. Carrion Crows however, were at least on the shuffle here throughout the morning, with every bird seen moving in a general variety of northerly directions (dare I say "the birds of the day"). Whether these were just coming off the dead sheep on the moors, or searching for more, or really moving I don’t know, but you can only record what you see. Again, few gulls with only single LBBG and Common Gulls seen going north-west. Unusual birds were 1+ Bullfinch calling from the wood and a Ring Ouzel in the plantation. The Ring Ouzel soon disappeared, assumed to have moved on. As might be expected, little in the upper sky with only two Cormorants > S, very high and a single heron, also very high > S. No hirundines.

Moving Birds:
Meadow Pipit 14 > N
Carrion Crow 40 > N ish
Ring Ouzel 1
Bullfinch 1+
Linnet 4 > W
LBB Gull 1 > NW
Common Gull 1 > NW
Heron 1 > S
Cormorant 2 > S
Golden Plover 2 > S

Other:
Nothing interesting enough.
Dave.