Oxenhope "Bombus Day" 29-05-2009
Painted Ladies still coming through.... one of the days highlights (c) 2009
Heat Haze at the Watchpoint..... and a birder on Soil Hill.. "The Long Wall" (c) 2009
Influx of Black headed Gulls all going South (c) 2009
Black Headed Gulls going South (c) 2009
Curlews.... several pairs still with small young (c) 2009
The leading line of the Embankment (SE to NW).... abandoned today with the Ladies all coming from the east and onward west over the water (c) 2009
0730 - 1430hr Dave Barker/Howard Creber
SE F2 increasing SSE F3, 14degC at 0700hr, 19km increasing 30km, 0/8 increasing 7/8 stratus breaking stratocumulus fractus 3/8, QNH 1033 rising.
A TOP morning continuing into the afternoon with a TERRIFIC amount of insect activity in the skys migrating over the moors, with the vast majority going due WEST... with a very small percentage WNW and NW. The same direction as noted by Jason yesterday.
Howard and myself (on site from 0730hr to 1430hr) were astounded!.... very exciting stuff!!
bombus bees c2000+ > W absolutely phenonenal! They were going in swarms from c1000hr right through until after 1400hr. It made our big bee migration day last autumn seem like nothing!!!
Painted Lady total 181 > racing W at 30mph
1014 (first one) - 1100 = 22
1100 - 1200 = 42
1200 - 1300 = 49
1300 - 1400 = 68
Timed counts with us both using binoculars over visible range. Whilst this again seems like a lot of butterflies the movement was quite thin on the ground with the binocular observations saving the day. The maximum seen together at any one time.... racing fast west across the water were 6 at 1249hr. Whilst more than half were powering W close to the ground, many today were quite well up in the sky in contrast to BH Monday when they seemed to be hugging the ground much more closely and generally today the migration seemed much wilder and more urgent with the leading line of the embankment being totally abandoned by the westward powering Ladies. The local Swallows were seen jinking at the high passing Ladies on two occasions but without success.... perhaps one of the main defence mechanisms of these butterflies is the speed at which they move? If you havent got any yet Mavis, Bryan and Jean.... these are coming your way!!
Other butterflies noted in the migration were:
Green veined White first one 0832hr.... 23 > W and NW
There seemed to be two populations of this species, one migratory and the other blogging!
Large White first one 0857hr..... 22 > W and NW
Small White 1 > W
Dingy Skipper 1005hr and 1135hr (both settling or amost so for a moment or so as they came past... site tick!!) 2 > NW
Grizzled Skipper 1140hr (good views going NW through binoculars.... site tick!!) 1 > NW...
Could get as addicted to insect vis... even more so than we are to the avian vis!!
Birdwise, the vis was monitored up to c 1000hr when the insects started to come. Moderate sized flocks of Starlings mainly juvs were on the move, leap frogging their way north and feeding as they went. The largest group was c 50. Only the ones passing the watchpoint were counted. A definate influx of moving Black headed Gulls since the visit three days ago. Also a turn of the tide with the Greylags... with the first congregations of the autumn arriving from the NE. Swifts were taking a back seat this morning with only a very few moving south. A singing Blackcap late morning was a site tick for me. A Willow Warbler was seen gathering copius food on the wave wall in the middle of the moor! After lunch a small movement of wading birds with a Little Ringed Plover moving south at 1303hr and five Dunlin moving through NW at 1358hr.
Moving Birds:
Black headed Gull 39 > S
Starling 234 > N
Lesser black backed Gull 156 > NW
Greylag Goose 31 > SW two skeins
Swift 34 > S
Blackcap 1
House Martin 10 > N
Little Ringed Plover 1 > S
Dunlin 5 > NW
Other:
Whinchat 1 singing
Howard and Dave
For version with photographs see:
http://vismig.blogspot.com/
Large White on Dandelion (c) 2009
Green Veined White on Dandelion (c) 2009
Green Veined White on Dandelion (c) 2009
Dave
posted by Dave Barker at
5/29/2009 06:37:00 pm
2 Comments:
The Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper and quite excellent and should be forwarded to relevant recorders.Grizzled Skipper is very rare in Yorkshire.Great Blogg .Andy
Cheers Andy
Both are site and area ticks for me. Tom has sent me the recorders detail.... pity he isent on email, but will endeavour to get a print off and post it through. Friday was a day that both Howard and myself will remember for ever!!
Dave
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