Oxenhope... a duff day! 26-07-2009

Early Sky... looking NE (c) 2009


Early Sky... looking E (c) 2009


Advancing rain from the SW... looking NNW (c) 2009

0730 - 1200hr
S F1 increasing S F5, 13degC at 0730, 20 increasing 65km E, 8/8 ideallic strato o/cast sky initially then rain - heavy to moderate spreading from the SW before clearing up, QNH 1015 falling quickly.

A morning with ideallic skies and much expectation turned out to be a duffer! at least at this altitude. Even the during the short early dry spell the upper sky was empty except for a few LBB Gulls going both SW and NW. Most of the dispersing / gathering birds seen on recent visits seemed to have gone with no mipits seen at all this morning and just a handful of Linnets moving west. BH Gulls virtually absent in the skies. Interestingly another small skein of Canadas, this time overflying south were seen together with the first distinctly moving Swallows of the autumn (a single group) going low west. Many juv Swallows were on the wires above the access road and hunting both the lee of the wood and the embankment seemed to be the norm.

Moving Birds:
Swallow 3 > W
Linnet 4 > W
LBB Gull 29 > SW and NW
BH Gull 2 > SW
Canada Goose 14 > S

Dave