Heligoland

Heligoland in 1895! just in case you fancy going!

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Denholme Clough 29-09-2007

An overcast morning with a slight northerly wind. The cloud was low enough that the Oxenhope watchpoint usually visible was shrouded in mist. Vertically I could only see a few 100 feet but horizontally I could see all my usual horizons except the pennines to the west.

A quiet morning with virtually empty skies. Everytime I scanned around I couldn't see anything moving. All these birds were picked up on call and were overhead.

0720 - 0915am

Redwing 44 mainly SE
Meadow Pipit 52 mainly SE
Chaffinch 35 mainly SE
Greenfinch 14 mainly E
Swallow 29 mainly S
Reed Bunting 4 individuals all S
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 E
Starling 5 W
Woodpigeon 13 mainly SW
Mallard 6 S
BHGull 7 SW
LBBGull 10 SW
Common Gull 4 N

regards
Mark

Still Plenty Pipits in the Pennines

Norr Hill... the Skylark Rough (c) 2007

Norr Hill... the Pipit Rough (c) 2007

Just been on Norr Hill Wilsden to check out the grounded Pipits and Skylarks. Not much in the sky at all and certainly no Redwings seen. The rough on the hill and surrounding fields are again full of Meadow Pipits (c150) presume waiting for suitable conditions for off..... maybe tomorrow? The Skylark rough this afternoon held at least 56 which flushed sequentially as I walked across the area. I have no idea as to the status of these birds as this is the first year I have checked the Hill out out in the vis season. They certainly seemed to be able to fly alright in a very noisy manner. Unless they are different birds on each visit the Skylark flock is still building. It is interesting that so far as the mipits go that a build up of numbers here seem to indicate a good mipit day to come at the watchpoint and it almost seems that Norr Hill is an indicator in this respect! After a good mipit vis day the mipits on the Hill have always gone. It is interesting that the Skylarks are always on the same patch, on the top sholder of the hill whereas the mipits favour the rough at the other end of the Hill and in the high fields surrounding.

Interesting Clive that your mipits have fallen to 10% in eastern Scotland and also that there is snow on the Cairngorms Jef. Could all this mean that we are likley to still get some sort of a mipit push in the Pennines? despite the dwindling numbers seen on vis during the past week?

Dave

Norr Hill.... Pipit Fields Typical (c) 2007

Norr Hill.... Gorse on the Hill (c) 2007

Odsal Stadium 29-09-2007

Dave

 

Results of this morning's vizmig watch at  Odsal Stadium just to see what goes past "any old where" (we stood on the scrubland between the stadium and golf course);

 

0715-0915hrs     Cool overcast morning with F1/2 NE'ly.

 

Small numbers of Mistle Thrush either hanging around or passing over, plus a few Song Thrush. 88 Redwing almost all going either N or NE. A total of 60 of these passed through between 0800 and 0815 including two flocks of 20 and 24. A few small Finch flocks including two of Goldfinch with 11 in each, one going E and the other SE. Loads of Blackbirds around in the bushes, with possible double figures in a berry laden Hawthorn by the car park.

 

Best sighting was 3 Snipe heading NE having come up the line of Cleckheaton Rd.

 

All in all, a bit more interesting that we expected for a site like this. Started raining at 9.15am so gave up.

 

 

Cameron Wilson

Chris King 

Oxenhope Watchpoint 29-09-2007

No Sunrise but Dense Fog at the watchpoint this Morning (c) 2007

Bins Down for the Duration Today (c) 2007

0700 - 1000hrs (Dave Barker / Howard Creber)
NE F2 rising NE F3, 8degC static, 200m, 8/8, fog stratus, rain later.

A terrible morning here with thick fog, deep dark and silent, virtually all of the time. We were in fact above the cloudbase which was only c50 feet below us but nevertheless it was enough to ruin our morning!! and worse still by 0945 as it started to clear it came on to rain very heavily. The only thing that kept us going were radio conversations with Mark several hundred feet lower and c3km distant in Denholme Clough, which was in the clear with some birds moving.

However some birds were seen on the move with a single group of c20 mipits cutting south through the fog at 0715 and a single Grey Heron going west at eye level not far away, also through the fog. Several Redwing calls were heard overhead. As the fog started to lift a large group of c50 mipits passed to the NE into the wind which was by now starting to bare rain. A group of Siskin were also heard and thats about it for this morning - might try again this pm.

Moving Birds:
Meadow Pipit c70
Grey Heron 1 > W
Siskin heard
Redwing 3

Dave

Fog Lifting and Rain Starting !!! (c) 2007