Oxenhope 01-11-2008 Mass Thrush Migration

Dawn this morning 0645hr (c) 2008

Sun up (c) 2008

The Sky at 1145hr..... looking east. stratocumulus (c) 2008

The Sky at 1145hr.... looking North. Stratocumulus castellatus (c) 2008

0645 - 1145hr Dave Barker/ Howard Creber

ENE F1, N F2, ENE F3, 0degC frost rising 6.1, 45 increasing 65km, 4/8, QNH 1013 rising 1014.

A storming morning right from first light with Fieldfares totally dominating and all moving initially NW with those later in the morning gradually tending more and more North.... an obvious fresh arrival today. The initial flocks had more of a mixture of Redwings in them but so far as we could see all of the later ones were pure Fieldfares. Most were high and visible against the sky above the horizon, sometimes in vast raggling flocks. Most of the later ones were passing out to our east, travelling north..... scopeing out greatly increased our total count. There was a bit of a lull 0830 - 0930hr but after this birds kept pouring through at an ever increasing rate until c1130hr when they began to slow a bit. 85 parties were recorded of which the largest was 300, giving a total of 7155 thrushes of which c6440 were Fieldfare. Starlings were also on the move from first light, right through the morning with all going hard NW in an unchanging direction. The largest party was a tremendous c500 which just went on for ever...... but most as usual for here were in squadrons of up to 60. Whilst not seen, two parties of more than one Snow Buntings went "teu"ing through high SE at 0715 and 0721hr..... normally these would have been the birds of the day, but today just insignificant with not a second to think about them!

Moving birds in order of appearance:

Redwing 715 > NW and N

Fieldfare 6440 NW and N

Starling 1624 > NW

Wood Pigeon 257 > S

Chaffinch 39 > NW

alba wagtail 3 > S

Jackdaw 17 > NW

Snow Bunting 4+ > SE

Merlin 1 > S

Cormorant 1 > SE and 1 > NW

Goldfinch 1 > S

Lapwing 2 > S

Kestrel influx 10+

Green Woodpecker 1 in trees then > SW over moor

Greenfinch 3 > W

Meadow Pipit 5 > NW

Greylag Goose 2 > S

Common Gull 1 > S

Redpoll 2 > S

Goosander 1m > S

LBB Gull 1 > S

BH Gull c100 > S

Reed Bunting 1 > W

Peregrine 1 > E

Dave