Oxenhope... 13-12-2009
Out in the field all day today except for a necessary visit to the supermarket early PM
Oxenhope Dave Barker, Howard Creber
0845 - 1045hr
N F2/3, 4degC, 40km, 2/8 variable, QNH 1032 falling
Few birds in the sky and no moving flocks / skeins. Counting much interupted by conversations with local characters and also by initial setup of watchpoint communications network. Thus no trektellen entry, except for a sample count to follow.
Then on to Norr Hill
On Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 1:26 PM,
Two skeins of pinks very high NW this am over Norr Hill, Wilsden, W Yorks. 1205 and 1255 (64 + 102) it seem to me that there is an earlier movement in this direction this year? or is it just normal settling down in the winter period?
Dave.
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Finally to check out local Jackdaw roost 1500 - 1645 again. Found now to be c 6000 strong. A continental bird was scoped very briefly in the very mobile pre roost... it could not be relocated and only one was seen in all of the thousands. The arial evolutions of the whole last light roost was a real massed spectacle. Worth every minute and effort of the walk!
Dave
Oxenhope Dave Barker, Howard Creber
0845 - 1045hr
N F2/3, 4degC, 40km, 2/8 variable, QNH 1032 falling
Few birds in the sky and no moving flocks / skeins. Counting much interupted by conversations with local characters and also by initial setup of watchpoint communications network. Thus no trektellen entry, except for a sample count to follow.
Then on to Norr Hill
On Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 1:26 PM,
Two skeins of pinks very high NW this am over Norr Hill, Wilsden, W Yorks. 1205 and 1255 (64 + 102) it seem to me that there is an earlier movement in this direction this year? or is it just normal settling down in the winter period?
Dave.
Mobile Internet From 3 Mobile With Nokia. Free Skype-to-Skype Calls UK wide!
Finally to check out local Jackdaw roost 1500 - 1645 again. Found now to be c 6000 strong. A continental bird was scoped very briefly in the very mobile pre roost... it could not be relocated and only one was seen in all of the thousands. The arial evolutions of the whole last light roost was a real massed spectacle. Worth every minute and effort of the walk!
Dave
posted by Dave Barker at
12/14/2009 12:36:00 pm
2 Comments:
Jackdaws and Rooks are usually heading towards that direction over Ogden most late afternoons so they are probably part of the roost? Not counted them though!
Yes Dave without doubt this is the evening goal of the Jackdaws... they come in from all directions during the late afternoon and at our watchpoint we often see them roostward bound coming over the watershed evacuating Halifax area at dusk and in the period after sunset. A couple of weeks ago HC and my self watched a massive flock of c1000 coming in from the Keighley / Airedale direction and their evolutions at distance looked at times just like a massive flock of Knot high over the sand flats! They really are tremendous a well as noisy birds in the pre roost and in mass give you a real kick.... and then the final mass evolutions over the roost before they suddenly drop in are tremendous!! If you can summon up BS (who gets em coming over Qby)etal and fancy a birding spectacular... HC and my self would be only too pleased to hoast a visit if you should wish to see where your birds end up for the night? Will be seeing BS at the weekend so will mention it to him.... the coming Saturday evening currently forecast to be calm / cold so might be ok?... will speak to HC. The winter rook roost comes in a bit later and is totally divorced from the Jackdaws, but have yet to visit this, this winter as it is some big distance away from them. Paste the link below into your browser to see some snaps taken several weeks ago.
http://vismig.blogspot.com/2009/11/edge-of-dark-14-11-2009.html
Congratulations with this afternoons Lap Bunt at Ringby Dave... a tremendous record and account on Qby Birds. Nigels snaps also trememdous. HC and myself have had two contacts this year... firstly a single through SE on vis in the aftermath of Greenland weather, which gave the full diagnostic combination of the teu followed in this case by the rattle. The bird wasent high but wasent seen... just heard. Secondly in the aftermath of a scandi window later in the year we had a group of four! coming towards and past us NW / W at relatively close range... interesting that these were using the rattle conversationally as they went past and over the watershed. Great birds for our part of the County. I tend to believe they are somewhat more common than might be thought on vis and in the vis season for those that habitually get up early and always frequent the moors as we have had them before periodically but quite often just on the diagnostic call. They seem to move through in the vis season almost as soon as they hit our shores... this we have noted every time.
Dave
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