Oxenhope... a duff day! 26-07-2009

Early Sky... looking NE (c) 2009


Early Sky... looking E (c) 2009


Advancing rain from the SW... looking NNW (c) 2009

0730 - 1200hr
S F1 increasing S F5, 13degC at 0730, 20 increasing 65km E, 8/8 ideallic strato o/cast sky initially then rain - heavy to moderate spreading from the SW before clearing up, QNH 1015 falling quickly.

A morning with ideallic skies and much expectation turned out to be a duffer! at least at this altitude. Even the during the short early dry spell the upper sky was empty except for a few LBB Gulls going both SW and NW. Most of the dispersing / gathering birds seen on recent visits seemed to have gone with no mipits seen at all this morning and just a handful of Linnets moving west. BH Gulls virtually absent in the skies. Interestingly another small skein of Canadas, this time overflying south were seen together with the first distinctly moving Swallows of the autumn (a single group) going low west. Many juv Swallows were on the wires above the access road and hunting both the lee of the wood and the embankment seemed to be the norm.

Moving Birds:
Swallow 3 > W
Linnet 4 > W
LBB Gull 29 > SW and NW
BH Gull 2 > SW
Canada Goose 14 > S

Dave

Ogden 26-07-2009

0739-0930hrs
Bright start then heavy rain with SW F4.

Early movement before the rain came with :-

7 Swifts >S
11 Meadow Pipit > W very high
9 LBBs gulls > SW
11 CROSSBILL , from Back Lane plantation to Giants Tooth area.
1 Cormorant brought down in the heavy rain.

Other,
1 f Goosander on water
1 new Muscovy duck appeared.

BSumner

Stainburn / Thruscross 20/25-07-2009

Two weeks holiday - so a few extra outings, though mostly disappointing during the week.

20th Stainburn. 0745-0900 F3 w 5/8 cloud.

BHG 111W Curlew 12W, Lapwing 25W, W Pig 2W, Sand Mtn 3W, Starling 3W, Swift 8W, Mip 2W, Linnet 2W, Swallow 5W plus a great many 'blogging'. C Gull 5 W, Siskin 2W, LBBG 2W, 1E


21st Stainburn 0800-0825

Swallow 19W, LBBG 1E, 2W Curlew 2W, wpig 1W, BHG 1E


24th Thruscross 0815-0845 SW4 on tops, 1 in valley 5/8 cloud

Curlew 2SW Common Gull 2W Mipit 1w LBBG W Swallow 2W BHG 9w

Also Crossbill 25+ in wood.

The BHGs were way down the valley to the S so I decided Stainburn might be a better place to pick these up

Stainburn 0900-1000

LBBG 51W, C Gull 6W, Herring Gull 1 ( a scarcity at the moment), Swift 2W, Linnet 2W

gave up early as v apathetic ( perhaps the sauvignon blanc the day before!)


25th of July- today. 0627- 1027hrs W 0-1 at first rising 2 later. Cloud ranging from 2/8 to 5/8 later but - cloud more to west less to East.

A good day though- steady with peaks of interest. Notable movers were greenshank, Curlew and sand Martin. A flock of 4 Cormorants was also nice.

H Mtn 7W- One flock, Swallow - no real consistent movement with lots of blogging bird, Swift ditto as Swallow, Sand Martin 25 S, Lapwing 30 SW with, in addition 120 in from N, Golden Plover 3W, Curlew 32W ( biggest flock 13), Greenshank 1W low overhead, Oik 2NW, Greenfinch 2NW, Greylag Goose 24 E, Starling 12W, BHG 261NNW, 11W, LBBG 66W

Looking forward to Daves post these results suggests he would be having a good day.

John Blacker is likely to issue a second post as he is going up later.

Andy