Oxenhope... doldrumic conditions set in! 12-09-2009

Sunrise this morning.... open sky overhead... broken stratus over E Yorks (c) 2009


The Moon Overhead at Sunrise!! (c) 2009


Buzzard movement today in doldrumic conditions!... montage (c) 2009
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0625 - 1130hr Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Chris King.
SSW F2 @ 0630, WSW F2 by 0810, W F3 by o950, 8degC @ 0630, 65km becoming 20km haze, 1/8, QNH 1033 falling.

High pressure doldrums today with mipit numbers crashing, and with only a background presence on the move all going south. Interestingly even before sunrise there was terrific heat haze up here over the moor confirming that the ground was warm from the last couple of days of sun, thus much insect life early doors.... so quite probablely and as expected very few mipits on the move. By 0830 mipit movement had virtually stopped. However despite the doldrums, presumed "high pressure" birds were on the move with a very good move of Snipe all going west throughout the morning. A skein of Common Scoter (0818) was picked up out to the east, steaming initially high west in a long line, sometimes coalesceing then straightening again above the level of the Baildon Moor / Rombalds Moor horizon before dropping slightly and becoming lost from view as they continued west. Buzzards... quite rare from this vis post were on the move today with one south east at 0935 and another west at 1030... both were making good progress at they thermaled along... both coming almost overhead. A longer stay would no doubt have picked up more high pressure stuff but we all had to go!!

Moving Birds in order of appearance:

Meadow Pipit 176 > S
alba wagtail 11 > W and S incl 6 in one silent flock
Reed Bunting 1 > W
Chaffinch 29 > W
Goldfinch 6 > W
Starling 1 > E, 6 > W total 7
Sparrowhawk 2 > S
LBB Gull 6 > SW
Snipe 17 > W biggest group 4
Grey Wagtail 5 > W
Skylark 4 > W
Swallow 13 > S
Common Scoter 10 > W
Cormorant 1 > W
BH Gull c410 S and SW
Goosander 1 > NW
Lapwing 6 > W
Linnet 10 > W
Rook 2 > W
Buzzard 1 > SE and 1 > W total 2

Dave