Oxenhope 28-09-2008

Airport Lights at Dawn (c) 2008

Sky t0 the North at Dawn (c) 2008

Sky to the South Mid Morning (c) 2008

Golden Plovers going South (c) 2008

0715 - 1200hr DB/HC
Calm/E F1/ S F2/ W F3, 10.7degC rising 14, 20km increasing 65km, 8/8 stratus reducing 1/8 alto/ cirro sp, QNH 1027 falling.

Passage and clearance of front during the morning but remaining dry. Initially calm and birdless but very soon turning into a morning full of Geese and Waders all on the move. Both were spread throughout the morning with the largest skeins and flocks, increasingly high being after the passage of the front in the clearing skys. Not all of the geese were close in and we had to work very hard initially in conjunction with the rest of the team at Denholme Clough, on Soil Hill and at Ogden to pick them up once we realised they were on the move. Here is the Goose list:

0805 Pink Feet 12 > S
0810 Canada 4 > S
0835 Pink Feet 15 > SW
0845 Pink Feet 7 > E BS over Ogden
0850 Pink Feet 65 > E
0930 Pink Feet 70 > E BS over Calderdale
0950 Pink Feet 22 > NW
1010 Pink Feet 30 > E
1041 Pink Feet 8 > W
1104 Pink Feet 27 > SE
1142 Pink Feet 10 > W
1144 Pink Feet 136 > SE
1150 Pink Feet 97 > E
1153 Greylag 10 > W
1155 Pink Feet 115 > SE

Total Pink Feet 608 directions as above.

Moving Birds in order of appearance:

Meadow Pipit 227 > S
Redpoll 6 > S and W
Goldfinch 8 > E
Swallow 8 > S
Siskin 1 lot unseen south
alba wagatail 30 > S including a flock of 20
Golden Plover 114 > S largest flock c75
Chaffinch 27 > S and W
Snipe 29 > W
LBB Gull 57 > various
BH Gull 136 > various
Mistle Thrush 8 > W
Pink Footed Goose 608 > various
Canada Goose 4 > S
Song Thrush 2 > S
Green Woodpecker 1
Skylark 4 > W
Redshank 4 > W
Reed Bunting 1 > W
Willow Warbler 1
Cormorant 2 > high W
Kestrel 1 > S
Starling 26 > S
Sparrowhawk 1 > S

Dave

Here are some snaps of the closer skeins of Geese with one of the skeins comming low right overhead..........

Pink Feet Going East (c) 2008

Pink Feet Going East (c) 2008

Pink Feet Going East (c) 2008

Pink Feet Going East (c) 2008

Cormorants Going West

Pink Feet Going East (c) 2008

Pink Feet Going Overhead East (c) 2008

Pink Feet Going Overhead East (c) 2008

Pink Feet Going Overhead East (c) 2008

Deep Cumulus with Pileus

The Back Edge of the Front (c) 2008

The Sky South West Late Morning (c) 2008

The Sky Late Morning South Altocumulus Lenticularis (c) 2008