Paul Clough 12-10-2008

Paul Clough 0740 - 0900hr.

The mist refused to lift, the Clough was birdless with the exception of the weak intermittent song of a Robin, and a single Bh Gull overhead, abandoned the watch at 0900.

Brian Vickers

Topographical Maps

Ive recently been looking to see what sort of sheet maps with the topography coloured are available to buy in the shops. Have come across The Road Travel Map series published by the O/S. The beauty of this series is that one sheet covers a lot of area..... in the case of Northern England, coast to coast and Wash to Solway!!

Here is the Key sheet to the series and you will see what I mean

Here is a sample of the detail shown on the maps.....

Just right for plotting and appreciating potentials for the vis. Also for relating the positions of the vis watchpoints in relation to each other.

Not bad I dont think at only £4-99 per sheet.

Think I,m going to get some more.

Dave

Caldene Fields Watchpoint 12-10-2008

12th October 08 Watch 7.15 – 09.00
Weather: A dull overcast start to the morning with 100% high cloud cover and distant low ground mist giving visibility to only 3 miles. A hint of a S/W wind with a Temp of 10c

Comments: A poor watch because of viewing conditions and what birds were moving were travelling very high.

Black Headed Gull > 9 S/S/W
Wood Pigeon > 64 S
Meadow Pipit > 14S
Alba Wagtail > 5 E + 25 S = 30
Starling > 6 S/W
Redwing > 2 S
Carrion Crow > 3S/S/W + 1 N/W=4
Jackdaw > 4 S/S/W
Chaffinch > 1 E + 13 S/W=14
Greenfinch > 34 S/W + 10 N/W = 44
Goldfinch > 23 S/S/W + 4 N/W =27
Redpoll > 3

Martyn Priestley

Oxenhope 12-10-2008

FOG 0715hr (c) 2008

Shallow Rolling Fog 0730hr....looking NW (c) 2008

0936hr We have lift off! magical dispursal of fog (c) 2008

0645 - 1130hr DB
Calm - SE F1 - SSW F3, 10.6 degC increasing 14, 200m - 20km, 8/8 increasing 2/8, QNH 1023 falling slowly.

Fog, shallow and rolling initially with open sky above until 0815 when becoming deep and dense after which bird movement almost ceased until 0936hr when a wind swing from SE to SSW brought a very rapid dispursal of the fog. The initial period 0645 to 0715 was birdless up here on the moors, only Red Grouse crackling and chuntering together with the Goosander roost cronking and a very active gull roost. The first mover , a Meadow Pipit went over S at 0716hr. Very sadly the shallow rolling fogs whilst not enough to stop the birds from moving in the open sky above it stopped effective counting of the vis during the first "shallow fog" phase of the watch. Nevertheless despite the shallow fog there was a lot of activity in the sky and whilst very little could be counted all that was heard was enumerated, the next best thing! During the "deep dense fog" phase there was very little movement at all but all of this changed after 0936 as the skys began to clear! and the birds began to surge! For the purpose of the totals a "group" is taken as 3 (in most cases a dramatic under count) This continued for the rest of the morning. Here are the results using the Bedfordshire timed methodology.

0645 - 0700
No birds

0700 - 0715
No Birds

0715- 0730
Meadow Pipit 6
Chaffinch 5

0730 - 0745
Meadow Pipit 4 groups
Siskin 1 group
Chaffinch 1 group
Redpoll 1 group
Coal Tit 1

0745 - 0800
Meadow Pipit 7 groups
Goldfinch 4 groups
Albas 6
Siskin 1 group
Reed bunting 1
Chaffinch 7 groups

0800 - 0815
Meadow Pipit 10 groups
Chaffinch 5 groups
Redpoll 1 group
Siskin 3 groups
Reed Bunting 1
alba 1

0815 - 0830
Meadow Pipit 4
Dunnock 1

0830 - 0845
Many midges, No birds.

0845 - 0900
Meadow Pipit 1
alba 6
Goldfinch 1 group

0900 - 0915
No birds

0915 - 0930
Chaffinch 2
Meadow Pipit 1

0930 - 0945
Siskin 6
Meadow Pipit 109
Chaffinch 36
alba 4

0945 - 1000
alba 4
Meadow Pipit 83
Chaffinch 19
Redpoll 6
Greenfinch 6

1000 - 1015
Meadow Pipit 5
C Crow 5
Redpoll 6
Kestrel 1
Reed Bunting 1

1015 - 1030
Meadow Pipit 12
LBB Gull 3
BHGull 8
Chaffinch 6
alba 2
Greenfinch 14
Lapwing 7
Starling 8

1030 - 1045
Chaffinch 23
alba 2
Meadow Pipit 49
Reed Bunting 1

1045-1100
Jackdaw 24
BH Gull 13
LBB Gull 1
Skylark 16
Meadow Pipit 9
Chaffinch 3
Common Gull 26

1100 - 1115
Goldfinch 3
Chaffinch 16
skylark 15
Meadow Pipit 9
Linnet 4

1115 -1130
Goldfinch 6
Mipit 5
Skylark 14

Moving bird totals in order of appearance:

Meadow Pipit 351> mainly S with a few W
Chaffinch 149 > S
Siskin 21> S
Redpoll 18 > S
Coal Tit 1+ > W
alba 25 > S, SE, SW
Reed Bunting 4
Dunnock 1 > W
Greenfinch 20 > S
C Crow 5 > sW
Kestrel 1 > S
LBB Gull 4 > S
BH Gull 21 > S
Lapwing 7 > SW
Starling 8 > W
Jackdaw 24 > W
Skylark 45 > W
Common Gull 26 > W

Dave



Visibility to Soil Hil at last (c) 2008

1100hr, Cloud / Clear interface overhead and advancing from the south (c) 2008