Watchpoint 31-07-2005 late pm.

Members only watchpoint 31-07-2005
Sunday 31st July 2005 late pm /early eve
1630 - 1945hr
Weather and Sky:
A deteriorating afternoon. Initially bright and sunny with well spaced stratocumulus 3ok, open sky overhead, but heavy cu sp cloud approaching from SW and W, also filling in to east to become 7ok by 1830hr. Wind initially NW F3, soon becoming light and variable and ultimately WSW F 2. Temp: 16 dp 10. Visibility: >Leck Fell / max Humber Bridge. Cloud: as above. Pressure: rising quickly 1014, becoming 1016.

A very typical late afternoon wader passage at the watchpoint in conjunction with worsening conditions. Greeted on arrival by Greenshank calls from the opposite shore, but a flighty bird and soon moved on high west. Upto c 1830hr a total of 29 Swifts were noted going WSW, movement at all ranges both to my east and west – none were feeders. A few Sand Martins totalling seven in singles all went c SSE, both low and higher. Gulls were very numerous, not especially at the reservoir but out over Airedale, with many soaring and gradually seeming to move on west or north-west. At c1830 the cloudbase approaching from the west reduced and over drew dramatically and just as dramatic was a Whimbrel seven whistling straight through south-east. As the sky became yet darker a single Dunlin left low and then banked up high in a zig zagging climb > NW. This followed by an other group of four Dunlin with a Ringed Plover with them all much higher than the first one. All went off NW into the gloom and Lancashire bound. Yet more waders west were a total of 15 Curlew, all over fliers. On checking the Gulls again just before leaving a Yellow Legged Gull was in with the Lessers.

Moving birds:
Swift 29 > WSW
Sand Martin 7 > SSE
Swallow none
Gulls many
Dunlin 5 > NW
Ringed Plover 1 > NW with Dunlins
Greenshank 1 > W
Whimbrel 1 > SE
Curlew 15 > W
Yellow Legged Gull, would probably leave NW

Other:
Goosander 15
And more………..
Dave
All photographs below (c)DCB