Oxenhope... Curlews phase three! 06-09-2009

Pre Sunrise... looking ENE (c) 2009


Clear Sunrise over the North Sea... just visible below a shelf of deep stratus (c) 2009


Late morning stratocumulus and fractus... looking north (c) 2009

0600-1200hr Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Keith Hillery

S F2 becoming WSW F3 then SW F4, 10degC at 0600hr, 65km reducing, 7/8 becoming 8/8, dry, QNH 1019 rising.

Another interesting morning with much Meadow Pipit movement but today nearly all of the birds were going west with by far the lesser proportion going southwest. Initially whilst conditions were calmish many were high and could be seen streaming oblequly way out across Airedale. The first south birds were at 0635 today, but not many went that way at all. The largest flock was c120 west but by 0850 the flow had almost stopped, only to resurge again just after 1000hr when many largeish flocks continued straight through west. Swallows also were moving and again all south and west. Of 14 albas seen.... four were confirmed whites and several of the others going over sounded decidedly "grey" suggesting more whites than we could confirm. Most interestingly the first moving birds seen were two Curlews west at 0615hr. During the morning more passed west and north west, the first seen at this site for some weeks now confirming Curlew phase three movement has now commenced. The largest group was four.

Moving birds in order of appearance:

Curlew 12 > W and NW

Meadow Pipit 1101 > W and SW but mainly W

LBB Gull 34 > SW

Swallow 337 > S and W

alba wagtail 10 > W

White Wagtail 4 > W

Sparrowhawk 1 > S

Sand Martin 8 > SE

Chaffinch 2 > S

Greylag Goose 1 > E

Grey Wagtail 2 > W

Tree Pipit 1 > SW

Snipe 6 > S and W

Cormorant 6 > SW

BH Gull 116 > S

Mistle Thrush 1 > W

House Martin 10 > W

Canada Goose 28 > E

Wheatear 4 > W

Reed Bunting 2 > W

Painted Lady 2 > W

Dave