Oxenhope... milk out! 06-11-2009

Pre Sunrise (c) 2009


Pre Sunrise (c) 2009



Fumulus over Drax (c) 209

Fieldfares pushing HIGH (c) 2009

"All enveloping" Fog Stratus on advance! (c) Howard Creber 2009

Wonderful Skies! (c) 2009

Sundog shines through! (c) 2009

The next weather moves in! (c) 2009

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Friday 6 November 2009
Counting period: 7:00-10:00
Weather: W F1 increasing SW F3, 3degC, 65km initially soon becoming 4km with increasing haze, 5/8 becoming 8/8 fog stratus, broken altostratus, QNH 1000 rising then falling 999
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber


Moving Birds:
Cormorant - 1
Redwing - 28
Lapwing - 50
Starling - 195
small gull spec. 131 -
Chaffinch 9 -
Woodpigeon 513 -
finch sp. 10 -
Meadow Pipit 7 -
Greenfinch 14 -
Fieldfare - 804

Totals: 1762 individuals, 11 species, 3:00 hours

Comments: Considering bonfire night just past...a good clear morning initially. Fog stratus gradually advancing out of Lancashire over the high moors combined with gradual milking out of the eastern horizon and then near visibility, lead to only the first hour of the watch being at all productive. Initially Fieldfares were moving well, all very high and in big groups, suggestive of fresh arrivals, all were back to the normal expected direction of west and north west. However as visibility closed in the bird flow stopped suddenly. Woodpigeons initially also moving well far out to our east became invisible very early in the morning… so a day of much potential soon became worthless for observing the birds. The skies however were not dead with the terrific ever changing forms of the steadily advancing fog stratus providing much entertainment, together with phenomenal sundogs, upper air patterns and other delights stealing the show.

Dave