Oxenhope 29-10-2008

Red Ball Sunrise today!.... looking good (c) HC 2008

OH NO!!!.... Here comes the thick stuff!! (c) HC 2008

Brief Window before second cloud bank rolls in!! (c) HC 2008

Oxenhope watchpoint 0700 - 0945hr HC

Sentry Hill 0950 - 1040hr HC

W F1 rising F2/3, -1degC rising slowly, 300m - 65km, 1/8 increasing 8/8 cirrostratus from the west, QNH 1010 falling.

A red ball sunrise with visibility out to Drax - deep haze beyond.NW F3. A very cold morning with puddles on embankment frozen throughout. From clear skies, was suddenly enveloped by freezing upslope stratus at 08.00 hrs and lights were out till 08.45 hrs. A clear window appeared for 10 minutes and was then fogged off once again.Departed to Sentry Hill (400 yards away) where much clearer - the stratus was clinging to the reservoir like a magnet !

Birdwise, a much quieter morning compared to yesterday..... No / limited visibility!! Will be interesting to see how Martyn got on today after yesterdays Woodpigeon Tsunami.

Birds in order of appearance :-

Woodpigeons - 116 in 9 groups all W
Alba wag - 1 W
Starling - 64 NW in 5 groups
Chaffinch 4 S
Greenfinch - 5 S
Reed Bunting - 1 W
Golden Plover - 4 NW
Redpoll - 2 NW
Redwings - 6 NW (at 09.20)
Fieldfare - 82 NW (in one flock from Sentry Hill - again silent)
Goldfinch - 1 S

Howard Creber


FOGGED OFF !!!!! (c) HC 2008

Caldene Fields Watchpoint 29-10-2008

Fieldfares WNW over Caldene Fields (c) MP 2008

WOODPIGEON SITE RECORD BROKEN AGAIN!!!

Caldene Fields Watchpoint, Low Moor, Bradford

29th of October 08 Watch 06.30 - 09.00

Weather: A cold dry start with a heavy ground frost and a F1/2 S/W wind. 100% clear skies with excellent visibility to beyond 11 miles and a temp of -1c. These condition remained stable until around 08.10 when thick heavy cloud came in rapidly from the S/W reducing giving cloud cover of 60% and visibility down to 5 miles. The cloud quickly passed and by 08.40 and conditions returned to 90/100% cloudless skies.

Comments: Another brilliant day ! With thousands of Woodies pouring through mainly to the east of Caldene Fields breaking yesterday's record count. The movement was similar to yesterday but with some distant large flocks moving well to the S/E of Birkenshaw in the areas of Morley down to Dewsbury. The movement was so strong that in a ½ hour period over 6,000 birds poured through with one group ( the largest single group I've ever noted here ) of 900 !

Fieldfare also pushed through in 8 large parties mainly to the WNW and another good count of Greenfinch was noted.

A breakdown of Wood Pigeon movements:

A total of 47 parties were observed, large groups were 1 x 900+, 1 x 800+, 3 x 500+, 2 x 400+, 3 x 300+, 1 x 250+ 9 x 100+

06.45 - 07.15 = 727

07.15 - 07.45 = 6,536

07.45 - 08.15 = 435

08.15 - 09.00 = 95

Moving birds:

Black Headed Gull > 11 S/S/W

Wood Pigeon > 7,793 S A new site record!

Alba Wagtail > 4 S

Starling > 31 W/S/W

Fieldfare > 150 S/W + 941 W/N/W = 1,091

Redwing > 17 S/W

Carrion Crow > 4 S

Chaffinch > 6 S/S/W

Greenfinch > 94 S/W

Goldfinch > 5 S

Martyn Priestley