Oxenhope 02-11-2008

Dawn over The Dales.... Three Peaks in Sharp Relief (c) 2008
















Dawn with Wards Stone, Bowland Fells, though Coombe Cross Col (c) 2008
















A Fast Lenticular Sky at Dawn.... looking North (c) 2008
















Woodies South at Dawn with Penyghent Beyond (c) 2008

The Dawn Sky To the East, as it REALLY was here and overhead (c) 2008

0700 - 0945 Dave Barker / Howard Creber

N F1, N F3, NE F3, 5degC rising 6, 65km, spots of drizzle, 7/8 more open to the north, QNH 1016 rising 1019.

Despite the much higher temperature a bitter cold morning here on the embankment! Heavy overnight rain band further south moving up country overnight but here in W Yorks it had remained dry and started to break up. The deep stratus cloud base edge to our north was moving back south... looking good! Initially it was almost calm and both at Wilsden and in Oxenhope village calls from overflying Redwings could be heard in the total darkness at 0530, 0630hr, and still the same upon arriving on at the watchpoint before 0700hr in this mornings very gloomy dawn but none could be seen even though the cloudbase of the deep and dark stratus was very low...... It seemed as if it was to be another very good morning but the calls just petered out..... With the exception of a very few woodies, not a bird was seen until 0729 when a high Merlin was picked up powering south at the cloudbase and onwards with out deviation until it reached the ridge to our south where it had a brief skirmish with a Kestrel before onwards again.... A couple of high Blackbirds (good for here) were heard calling and onward west. Also good was a single species Jackdaw flock very high W totalling aroung 100 strong, but, THE bird of the day was undoubtably an exceptionally high Magpie, batting very fast south in level flight at the speed of a Merlin or even a Woodpigeon in total difference to the normal half hearted, couldent care less flight of this species. One final thing is that we could see falling rain all of the time we were at Oxenhope way out to our east beyond Leeds..... Feel it was this that stopped the Starlings (although up here they do move in even heavy rain!!).

Where have all yesterdays thrushes ended up?

Moving Birds in order of appearance:

Woodpigeon 19 > S

Merlin 1 > S

Blackbird 2 > W

Redwing 3

Lapwing c100 > NW

Starling 6 > NW

Jackdaw 100+ > W

Magpie 1 > S

Meadow Pipit 1 > NE

Dave