Oxenhope Sentry... deep "korrp" SW 23-10-2009

deep "korrp" going through SW... Raven... a montage! (c) 2009


The Sunken Lane... in the fog! (c) 2009


Oxenhope Sentry in the fog! (c) 2009

The White Moor coming into view (c) 2009

HC over there... twixt Wolf and Crow! (c) 2009

A Skylark Sky! (c) 2009

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Friday 23 October 2009
Counting period: 7:45-13:30
Weather: SSE F1/2, 9degC, 60m improving 45km, 9/8 fog stratus improving 3/8 cu sp, QNH 1003 rising 1006
Observers: Dave Barker


Moving Birds:

Sparrowhawk 1 -
Meadow Pipit 64 -
Raven 2 -
Golden Plover 4 -
Fieldfare 441 -
Starling 609 -
Common Snipe 5 -
Redwing 45 -
Chaffinch 32 -
Black-headed Gull 132 -
Magpie 2 -
Goldfinch 6 -
Common Gull 14 -
Jackdaw - 5
Siskin 3 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 -
Rook 1 -
Linnet 3 -
Skylark 32 -
Carrion Crow 3 -
Lesser Redpoll 5 -

Totals: 1410 individuals, 21 species, 5:45 hours

Comments: Oxenhope Sentry this morning! An influx of Dunnocks noted in the garden this morning at c0715, the first of the autumn. A poor morning initially weatherwise but "the right kind of Fog" together with strongly rising pressure lead to much initial activity even through the very dense fog stratus (base c 1100ft asl). Right from arrival during the first foggy part of the morning big flocks of Fieldfare were making good progress east, some within only feet of my head above the watchpoint. Several flocks swirled overhead possibly trying to reorientate above the hill top, but all went on east... a few Redwings could be seen and heard to be amongst them. 14 flocks > E were counted but few were seen. In addition to the thrushes, finches were prevailent, with flock after flock coming up from the gloom of the Worth basin below the cloudbase and onward south east into the fogs.... Siskins, Chaffinch, Redpol, Goldfinch and even a Linnet or two went by... some overhead! These early flocks were difficult to enumerate so all that could be done was to count each flock registration as one... a dramatic undercount! Whilst the cloudbase hovered at around watchpoint level, the first vertical visibility soon followed by the real thing came at 0929hr... this was immediately followed by the first Starlings, in small and large flocks all powering NW. Quite a few of the larger flocks were today high over the Black Moor at c watchpoint height and could be seen to be skirting the edge of the fog stratus still receding. HC at Wycoller Ark diddent come into view until c 1030hr so you can tell how murky it was at this side of the Pennines! The best birds came just after 1200hr in the form of two Ravens first picked up way out to the NE, travelling SW... it was obvious they were going to come fairly close! deep "korrp"ing all the time they made a total flypast, going on without deviating as far as the scope could see! A couple of well spaced high Magpies also went SE and most interestingly after 1200hr a moderate Skylark passage commenced and was still going when I left at 1330hr. Starlings kept going in small flocks NW right up until the end of the watch. All in all, despite the low numbers of birds, a very enjoyable morning!!

Dave