Oxenhope... silent skies! 08-11-2009

Low fractus off the moor! early doors... (c) 2009


Westward Ho! (c) 2009


Hope Hill, Baildon Moor across Airedale... (c) 2009

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 8 November 2009
Counting period: 7:15-11:50
Weather: NNE F1, 5decC, 1000m initially becoming 30km, 8/8 stratus - fog stratus, intermittent light rain, QNH 1002 rising 1009
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber

Moving birds:
Cormorant 1 -
Common Gull 156 -
Redwing - 80
Whooper Swan 5 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 -
Raven 2 -
Common Buzzard 1 -
Woodpigeon 61 -
Starling - 490
Merlin 1 -
Skylark - 1
Chaffinch 4 -
Peregrine 1 -
Meadow Pipit 3 -
Greenfinch - 1
Golden Plover 71 -
Grey Wagtail 1 -
Goldfinch 3 -
Lapwing 2 -
alba wagtail sp. 1 -
Black-headed Gull 1200 -
Fieldfare 67 -

Totals: 2153 individuals, 22 species, 4:35 hours

Present: Lapwing 600

Comments: Silent but far from empty skies!.. although the season up here is closing fast!! Very little movement initially but things picked up from mid morning onwards, first with a small raptor movement, followed predictably by a single skein of Whoopers and ending with a very pronounced Starling wave NW. Several skeins of Golden Plovers south also made it late morning into the count! The Whoopers, first picked up at distance on a routine scan of the northern skies at 1120 were on approach obiquely from very high over Cringles col... sometimes at cloudbase and just sometimes within / behind it. They traversed the length of mid Airedale at this height and at distance before going out and away SSE over Thornton. There was an influx / passage west of small gulls throughout the morning but becoming more intense towards mid day. I would have stopped for longer but it was starting to rain moderately and the sky was closing from the north. After the bitter hypothermic blast of yesterday very pleasant out this morning and an enjoyable watch.

Dave