Watchpoint 29-08-2005 eve

Members only watchpoint 29-08-2005 eve.
Monday 29th August 2005
1915 - 2100hr (PC, JP, BV, DCB)
Weather and Sky:
Afternoon continuing to improve with idealic evening conditions, spoilt only by the horrendous masses of flies!! Wind: WSW F1 to calm. Temp: 12. Visibility: 40km max. Cloud: none, fully open sky with wall to wall blue. Golden sunset and strong persistent afterglow – photo taken c2100hrs. Pressure: rising quickly 1024hpa.

News from this afternoon, that the Yellow Wagtail left south at c 1500hr (BV). This evening a strong movement of Meadow Pipits, starting at 1940hr and continuing well after sunset, mainly in ones to fours, but largest group 15. All going west with purpose and totalling 41. A Pied Wagtail (scarce at the moment here) also went west at 1945hr. No Robin song from the wood – birds moved on?, but a few Blackbird alarms at the edge of darkness, again not heard over the past weeks. Also Tawny Owl calls from the wood, again seasonal here. Very few Gulls at all.

Dave.

The sky tonight sunset 29th August 2005 

Afterglow - evening 29th August 2005 

Watchpoint 29-08-2005

Members only watchpoint 29-08-2005
Monday 29th August 2005
0800 – 1430hr (JS, PC, DCB, BV – a joint effort for various periods)
Weather and Sky:
A rapidly deteriorating morning, with low stratus (fog) and horizontal driving drizzle setting in and not reducing until 1030hr when rapid clearance arrived by 1100hr. Wind: SW F4 @ 0720, then WNW F 4 @ 1100hr. Temp: 17 throughout. Precipitation: horizontal driving drizzle ceasing c1030 and becoming fine. Visibility: After 1100hr Ingleborough max / Eggborough max. Cloud: low stratus initially, clearing to east, followed be altostratus (total 8ok) also clearing to east, then a mixture including cu humilis and various cirrus (1ok). Back edge of frontal cloud overhead at c1300hrs. Pressure: rising 1019 @ 0720, with1021 by 1430hr.

No complete counts this morning owing to totally unsuitable conditions. Swallows obviously held back by the conditions started moving, mainly low, almost as soon as an improvement came, with a total > SW of 63, between 1050 – 1145hr, then only a few more (these uncounted, but still W or SW). Prior to 1100hrs, fifteen Snipe in two groups went SW / NW and at 1250hrs a further 25 went high WSW, the group as it went overhead was strung out in a compact broad front line, with some calling from the last two which were lagging behind. It was the calling which drew attention to these birds! This giving a day total of 40 snipe, excluding the ones at the pools. About fifty Meadow Pipits were seen congregating around the embankment area, but none were seen moving in the early part of the morning. A Cormorant was seen out to the north. By 1300hrs the back edge of the frontal cloud was overhead in a relatively, variably clean NE to SW edge, see photograph. During this period two Swifts passed south-west almost overhead along with several parties of House Martins. After 1315hr however several well spaced small groups of Meadow Pipits passed by and continued for the rest of the visit, again these remained uncounted. PC disturbed a Yellow Wagtail whilst leaving, the bird stayed around, favouring the un-mown derelict lawns and sand pits. None avian visible migration was a Grey Squirrel, calling loudly from the wave wall, in the middle of nowhere!! A Stoat was also seen rabbiting but without success.

Moving Birds (not complete counts):
Swallow 63 > SW
Meadow Pipit c25 > W (in afternoon)
Snipe 40 > westish
Cormorant
Yellow Wagtail
Swift 2 > SW
House Martin 33 > SW
Wheatear 1

Other:
Lesser black backed Gull 23 but increasing
Black headed Gull 15 increasing
Yellow legged Gull 1
Dave.

Some of the Gulls am 29th August 2005 

Back edge of the cloud 1300h 29th August 2005 

Oxenhope Chats 29-08-2005

Oxenhope Chats and Swallows 29—8-2005
Many thanks to Brian Vickers for this information:

Nab Water Lane c 1130hr:
Whinchat 8
Wheatear 12
Stonechat 1
These birds moving on quickly, those moving on being replaced by others. All had gone by 1330hrs, in replacement being a single Stonechat.

Fly Flats area:
Wheatear 1
Swallow: a strong move with 100+ birds > SW ish.

Trough Lane area:
Wheatear 1
(a late visit, suspect birds from here moved on)

Brian Vickers.

Cold Edge Dams 29-08-2005

Many thanks to Brian Sumner for this report, Dave.
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian Sumner
To: vismig
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2005 10:29 AM
Subject: [vismig] Cold Edge Dams

29/08/05 0715-0915hrs
Strong SW > F5-6 wind, slight drizzle at first worsening to heavy horizontal drizzle and low cloud causing loss of visibility. Abandoned at 0915 soaked to skin, still, it is Bank Holiday. Some movement early on before weather got bad.

Swallow 5 > W
Mipit 21 > W
Pied Wag 1 > W

Brian

Harden Moor 28-08-2005

Many Thanks to Mark Doveston for this report, Dave.
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Doveston
To: vismig
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 11:36 PM
Subject: [vismig] 28th August 05 - Harden Moor, Bingley

Harden Moor 0700-0800
4 House Martins north
4 Mipits north
20+Swallows north
1 Grey wagtail north
1 Swallow south
vismig died when wind increased and changed direction at 0740ish.

regards.
Mark