Oxenhope Sentry 10-04-2009

Decaying Kelvin-Helmholtz Waves... I think? off the top of this lenticular cloud... just couldent photograph this quickly enough.... by the time I had got the camera out they had almost gone! (c) 2009














Virga.... then rain! (c) 2009
















Todays Mipit (c) 2009

















Cormorants on the move > E... this distant skein was crossing Nab Water col (c) 2009










1015 - 1300hr DB / HC
S F2 increasing SW F3, 10.6degC rising, 45km, 8/8 strato / lenticular various, QNH 1002 steady.

This morning as expected rain stopped play at c0750 until 1000hr at Oxenhope. There were some heavy showers but nothing too prolonged.... mainly a none-event here but from the hills very heavy showers could be seen in various directions as the rain band continued to pass N and E , visibility was terrible, it then petered out and was totally fine but still heavily overcast for the rest of the morning and until 1300hr when it started to rain again, so we called it a day, for today.

Not much mipit movement noted over home first thing before the rain, but after 1030hr at Oxenhope Sentry, flocks of up to ten, threes, pairs and singles were noted on the move, all high up and going through in level flight like rockets on the very light tail wind. I diddnt book down any times as the flocks passed but it was obvious just by watching that movement was on an increasing trend as the morning progressed. In the last hour 85 were counted through, almost as many as we had noted in the first two hours. (Total count 187, not too bad for the back end of a wet morning here) As it was starting to rain gently again at 1300hr the passage was still continuing but had to get home for some lunch.

Also and most signicantly the normal northerly direction of mipit travel applicable to date through out the spring had today changed to all hard and desperate NW.

In addition to mipits Cormorants were on the move east, late morning and early afternoon. A skein of six were picked up coming high over Oxenhope radar, followed a little later by two singles and last by a four over Coombe Cross col. Three Swallows in singles were noted travelling fast north, two males and a female! all were moving low only feet from the ground, so some more distant ones may well have been missed. A female was noted on the wires back at the barn.

Moving Birds:
alba wagtail 3 > N and NE
Meadow Pipit 187 > NW
Starling 2 > E
Carrion Crow 5 > N
Stockdove 11 > N
Curlew 2 > N
Swallow 3 > N
Linnet 2 > E
Rook 3 > NE
Goldfinch 2 > W
Cormorant 12 > E
Jackdaw 6 > NE

Other:
Golden Plover c110
Snipe 10
Swallow 1

Dave

Pennine mipit wave coming? Todays differences!

Will post Friday results and put on trektellen later but this is just a bit on mipits as we found them today!

This morning as expected rain stopped play at c0750 until 1030hr at Oxenhope. There were some heavy showers but nothing too prolonged.... mainly a none-event here but from the hills very heavy showers could be seen in various directions as the rain band continued to pass N and E , it then petered out and was totally fine but still heavily overcast for the rest of the morning and until 1300hr when it started to rain again, so we called it a day, for today.

Not much movement of mipits noted over home first thing before the rain, but after 1030hr at Oxenhope Sentry, flocks of up to ten, threes, pairs and singles were noted on the move, all high up and going through in level flight like rockets on the very light tail wind. I diddnt book down any times as the flocks passed but it was obvious just by watching that movement was on an increasing trend as the morning progressed. In the last hour 85 were counted through, almost as many as we had noted in the first two hours. (Total count 187, not too bad for the back end of a wet morning here) As it was starting to rain gently again at 1300hr the passage was still continuing but had to get home for some lunch.

Also and most signicantly the normal northerly direction of travel applicable to date through out the spring had today changed to all hard and desperate NW, just like the change in autumn from West to South and we know that this always indicates the onset of the autumn wave! Sure the same may happen here in spring as well? This is reinforced by a look at trektellen, where it can be seen that Breskens had an infux passage of c8500 in five hours yesterday followed by 15000!! today, coupled with Garys c2900 on the 6th, followed by c1500 yesterday the 9th (also Garys at Hunstanton).

Would believe they are on their way! It wont take them long travelling at the speed they were moving today!

Still no Siskins past here yet Gary but we are still hoping.

Wonder how Andy and John went on this morning? There may well have been more birds up the eastern flank of the Pennines?

Dave.

Have just received a text from BS to say first SWIFT at Elland Gravel Pits, Calderdale this morning! Yet another early first!

Dave