Watchpoint 09-06-2005

Members only watchpoint 09-06-2005
Thursday 9th June 2005
0830 - 1030hr
Weather and Sky:
A warm, fine, cloudless anticyclonic morning but with increasing cloud and wind later on. Wind: WNW F2 initially at 0700hr, becoming NW F3 by 0830 and then NW F4 by 1030hr. Temp: 12 dp 8 at 0730, 14 dp 9 by 0830, 15 dp 10 by 0930 and 18 dp 11 by 1030hr. Visibility: Elslack Moor NNW, Pudsey E (much heat haze and shimmer). Cloud: initially 0ok with a moderate amount of contrailing persisting. From 1000hr cu humilis / mediocris 2ok forming over Lancashire and spreading eastwards together with translucent cirrostratus veil. Then stratocumulus 5ok developing generally by 1030 and continuing to deepen. Pressure: steady fall over last 24hrs, with 1032 at 0730 and 1031 by 1030hr.

No massed congregation of Starling or noteable Swift movement this morning. Hardly any Swifts at all were seen until 0950hr except for very few (totalling eight in bits) going north-west, low over the high moor to the SW and W. At c0950hr, until 1010 a most definite wave including all of the remaining birds went through, again north-west. Today all of the movement was relatively low, with the majority below the horizon, except for those continuing to move NW over the high moor. With regard to Starlings, the masses were either keeping down or had moved on, with only a total of 61, again in bits, biggest group 10, all going low NW. Otherwise a single adult Grey Wagtail went west (first dispersal? here), and a single Blue Tit was in the waterside vegetation, again, the first of the autumn. Whilst there were a few gulls present, there was no sign of movement. Lots of Rooks about now in the in-bye and rough pastures.

Birds in the Sky:
Swift 49 > NW-ish
Starling 61 > NW-ish
Grey Wagtail 1 > W (first)

Some others:
Lesser black-backed Gull 6
Black headed Gull 3
Rook (many)
Blue Tit 1
Goldfinch, Linnet (in 3’s and fours), Greenfinch and Goldfinch, Mistle Thrush (with young), present.
Also all usual water and wading birds.

Dave.