Oxenhope 23-04-2009

Low Stratus breaking up.... looking east (c) 2009



Low stratus breaking up.... looking north west (c) 2009



Curlews going west (c) 2009



An April Small Tortoiseshell (c) 2009


0615 - 1100hr D Barker
SW F2 / S F2 variable, 8degC initially, 7km haze increasing, 8/8 stratus base 1500ft reducing 3/8, QNH 1021 falling.

OXENHOPE SENTRY:Very little passerine movement apparant at all with a single mipit and a single swallow beeing seen moving north and a single group of 14 Goldfinch moving NW. A big influx of Curlews since my last visit on Sunday 19th April with local territories on the in-bye now appearing fully occupied.... the second wave! Advice from the local farmer indicated that this had happened during the afternoon / evening of Tuesday 21st April when groups of up to six had been seen moving west throughout. Still a few moving west this morning. The sky was full of displaying birds. However the morning was memorable for the determined movement of Lesser black-backed Gulls. Quite often this picks up late morning and into the afternoon but today LBBG's were moving NW throughout at all levels some were coming in to the water before moving on again whilst others were moving straight through very high up over Airedale.... the sky was often full of kowking from birds so high over head that it was a struggle to see them. At least three Herring Gulls were seen within the masses The star bird on the "deck" was a reeling Grasshopper Warbler, giving it some stick for all it was worth.

Moving birds in order of appearance:

Curlew 4 > W and NW
Meadow Pipit 1 > NW
Lesser black-backed Gull 665 > N and NW
Herring Gull 3 > NW at least
Swallow 1 > N
Linnet 2 > W
Goldfinch 14 > NW

Other:
Grasshopper Warbler 1 passage bird reeling

Dave