Oxenhope... starling supreme! 31-10-2009

vertebratus at Dawn!! (c) 2009


Open Sky before Sunrise... (c) 2009


Looking ENE before Sunrise... (c) 2009

Fabulous Skies! (c) 2009

FANTASTIC fibratus!! (c) 2009

Yet More FANTASTIC fibratus !!!! (c) 2009

Even More Fabulous Skies! (c) 2009

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 31 October 2009
Counting period: 6:45-11:00
Weather: SW F3 /2. 12degC, 5000m increasing 35km, 4/8, QNH 1017 rising 1018
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber


Moving Birds:
Greylag Goose 2 -
Stock Dove 8 -
Redwing 529 -
Golden Plover 1 -
Woodpigeon 241 -
Starling - 4265
Lapwing 68 -
Skylark 1 -
Chaffinch 11 -
Common Snipe 4 -
Meadow Pipit 10 -
Greenfinch 6 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 -
alba wagtail sp. 2 -
Siskin 5 -
small gull spec. 382 -
Fieldfare 395 -
Red Admiral 1 -

Totals: 5933 individuals, 18 species, 4:15 hours

Comments: An interesting morning with fantastic skies and also a massive increase in Starling passage. All were going NW with the vast majority very low to the ground, some even passing around and over us. The largest flocks were c500 strong and the peak hour of passage was 0800 - 0900 with 2145 through, with 1462 between 0900 and 1000. An influx of Thrushes also with many more Redwings than seen in the recent past but none were way up. Initially all of the thrush movement was to the east but this changed during the morning to a westerly flow but in smaller numbers. Nothing else was remarkable.

Dave