Fly Flatts 07-09-2008

1800 - 1900hrs

Arrived just as a huge downpower began to abate. Very evil looking black clouds took up an almost stationary position over Calderdale - Hebden Bridge and Todmorden would have had a real soaking. Clear out to the three peaks which were in sunshine. Dead calm at Fly Flatts - res was like a mill pond - the silence was deafening !

VIS MIG

Good movement of mipits :-

189 with largest single group being 54 birds. Bulk were moving East with odd one`s North - seemingly influenced by the rather strange weather conditions.

Also 8 Swallows very high East.

OTHER

Kestrel - 1
Red Grouse - 2
Carrion Crow - 5


Howard Creber

Wheatears 06/07-09-2008

Saturday 6th Sept,
Nab Water Lane 5 Wheatear
Fly Flatts, 4 Wheatear

Sunday 7th Sept,
Nab Water Lane, 11 Wheatear
Fly Flatts, 12 Wheatear,
Trough Lane, 4 Wheatear

Also some 30 to 40 Meadow Pipits around the Quarry above Fly Flatts with some movement across the moor pm.

Brian Vickers.

Oxenhope 07-09-2008 Afternoon

Rapidly Developing Cumulus..... after lunch, looking east (c) 2008

Ultimate Thunderstorm.... looking north west (c) 2008

1330 - 1645hr less the periods in shelter.
N F2 initially then dropping calm before S F1, 17degC, 65km, 6/8 stratocumulus developoing cumulonimbus, QNH 1005 rising.

A dramatic afternoon with horrendous thunderstorm c1520hr then ideallic calm warm sunshine until the next storm arrived! Birdwise noticable mipit movement still going on at the watchpoint with a total of 23 south. Up on / over the moor and the moss a huge congregation of 2/300 mipits were present and kept going up en mass upon disturbance by hunting Kestrels. Despite this it was obvious they diddnt want to move as they kept settling back on the moor. These birds were most likely the product of this mornings well defined movement. Several smaller groups of mipits were on occasion seen tracking across the moor top south east from the Nab End area. At 1510hrs a large raptor was picked up high over towards the church......scopeing defined it as an Osprey! This motored through obliquely over Causeway Foot col and disappeared into Calderdale. The bird was moving in well in front of one of the the storms which was tracking from the north west and shortly to break. Several rapid decents from the watchpoint allowed shelter behind a wall during the worst of the rain but nevertheless a good soaking was in order for the second time today!! After the rain had passed ideallic conditions with almost calm and very hot steamy sunshine during this period. Kestrels were up everywhere, a Merlin shot east over the water, a Peregrine was soaring high south and two Sparrowhawks were high over the Worth basin. A single Wheatear was in the sand pits. Again Green Veined Whites and Peacocks were moving west over the moor on the light southerly air as was a single Red Admiral. Definately worth sitting it out for what was to follow on behind. Noteable that there was not a hirundine in the sky this afternoon!!

Moving Birds:
Meadow Pipit 23 > S
Osprey 1 > SSW
Peregrine 1 > S
Merlin 1 > E
Wheatear 1

Other:
2/300 mipits blogging on the high moor / moss.
Sparrowhawks

Dave

Towering Cumulus.... (c) 2008

Green Veined Whites > west across the moor (c) 2008

Oxenhope 07-09-2008

At the Cloudbase Again! (c) 2008

Cringles Col.... Looking North.... window below the cloud (c) 2008

0710 - 1000hr DB, CK, HC, SL.
NF2 swinging NW F2, 12degC throughout, 20km, 8/8 stratus, heavy showers, QNH 1002 rising.

A disappointing, deteriorating morning weatherwise with heavy showers leading to early abandonment. Whilst the cloudbase was down over the moors all of the cols were open. Meadow Pipits were moving well and the best to date this autumn, all were at the cloudbase and there was no blogging whatsoever by any species. The largest party was nine. Interestingly most of the Meadow Pipits were moving east this morning (89), we thought they might be southward moving birds obstructed by and skirting the cloudblock which was down over the moor to the south. 23 were going SE and just 12 west. The seemingly daily trickle of Siskin, south west continued with a single group of five moving in that direction and three Snipe went west out over Airedale. Several large high skeins of LBB Gulls were seen throughout the morning moving SE, at first glance mistakable with geese! No small gulls were seen at all. The rain finally got the better of us at 1000hrs when an exceptionally heavy storm drove us down from the watchpoint.

Moving Birds:
Meadow Pipit 124 > mainly E and SE
Carrion Crow 5 > high E
Chaffinch 2 > S
Linnet 23 > E
Starling 2 > W
Goldfinch 4 > E
Snipe 3 > W
Swallow 3 > S
Skylark 1 > W
Siskin 5 > SW
alba wag 2 > SE
LBB Gull 68 > SE

Other:
Goosander 7
Tufted Duck 2

Dave

Wainmans Pinnacle and the Settle area beyond (c) 2008

Watersheddles Col.... window below the cloud (c) 2008