Watchpoint 17-04-2005

Members only watchpoint 17-04-2005
Sunday 17th April 2005
0810 – 1030hr
Weather and Sky:
A fair weather morning but with bitterly cold SE wind. Early frost soon thawing, little cloud and brilliant sun.

Wind: initially SSE F2 @ 0645, becoming SE F3 by 0830hr then SSE F5 by 0945 and finally SSE F5/6 by 1030 (much more windy than recorded 19km further east. Lying snow Appraisal: considerable covering still around summit of Lad Law (c1700ft). No visibility into south Dales. Temp: initially 2 (min at home –1) dp 1 @ 0645 with very white frost on cars and in fields at home. Then rising 4 (6.3 @ wp) dp 3 by 0815 and finally 7 (7.6 @ wp) dp 3 by 1030. Visibility: Very hazy throughout. Initially, 10km max E, 5.5km max E. Improving 17km max NW, 19km max E by 1030hr. Cloud: initially open sky 0ok except for veiling of very translucent cirrostratus 9ok. During the morning the cirrostratus became much more dense gradually still 9ok but brilliant sunshine throughout. Pressure: falling overnight and during the morning, with 1006 @ 0630 and 1003 by 1030hr.

Good to be out, but bird-wise a disaster, with almost empty skies, no surface movement and no congregations at all. Everything well sluffend (to use a good old Yorkshire expression). The most interesting birds of the morning were a group of four Curlew going south, which from direct manner of flight and nature of calls were considered to be passage birds, albeit lateish. Otherwise, just five Meadow Pipits and a single Swallow were noted going north. Telephone conversations / textings with Brian and Nick confirmed the dearth of moving birds to be not just local. Interestingly Nick advised that a Greenland Wheatear had been located in Calderdale yesterday.

Moving Birds:
Meadow Pipit 5 > N
Swallow 1 > N
Carrion Crow (no directional pattern)
Lesser Black backed Gull 4 > NW (just as leaving)
Curlew 4 > S
Dave.