Oxenhope 06-05-2009

Dark skys after a wet morning of rain (c) 2009


The Very Best it Got!! (c) 2009


Stonechat.... reappearance! or a migrant? (c) 2009


Migrant Wheatear.... one of many (c) 2009



Several Migrant Swallows sheltering / resting on the pitchings (c) 2009



Curlew bathing on the far shore... a long distance shot (c) 2009



Mipit of the Day!! (c) 2009 Click to make it bigger!

Apologise for noisy snaps today.... very very poor light!!

1300 - 1820hr
W F5, 13degC, 65km east, 20km west, 8/8 essentially dry after a wet morning but showers of rain, QNH 1015 rising then falling.

Morning much as yesterday with heavy drizzle / rain over the Pennines but fine to the east. A good afternoon with waders on the move and lots of grounded passerines. A few Lesser black backed Gulls on the move NW during the early afternoon, then petering out with none at all later on. Just 21 Swallows moving NW in ones and twos low along the embankment but several sheltering / resting on the pitchings during the late afternoon. Still large numbers of Wheatears about along the pitchings and wave walls, the majority very tame. The most interesting bird of the afternoon was a Great Tit in the reservoir bushes in the middle of the moor! At 1615hr a group of eight Dunlin were seen arriving from the east, circling the reservoir several times before going off high NW. At 1815hr a further group of three Dunlin flew low over the water and off high NW.... by now the light was very poor.

Moving birds:
Lesser black backed Gull 23 > NW
Swallow 21 > NW
Dunlin 11 > NW

Other:
Great Tit 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Stonechat 1
Wheatear 18

Dave