Oxenhope... treepip tsunami!! 22-08-2009

Open sky but fractus streaming from the moor.. shown diminishing! (c) 2009


Resultant "milky" light at the watchpoint (c) 2009


Treepip on the deck! (c) 2009

Treepip on the deck and close up!! (c) 2009

0700 - 1200hr D Barker, C King, H Creber

SW F2/3, 9degC at 0600hr rising11 by 0730, 15km increasing 30, 1/8 increasing 6/8, fractus enveloping the whole moor at 0700hr, QNH 1020 rising.

A late August morning with an expectational magical feel! Most of the passerines moving gentlely west. Fractus enveloping the moor from first light was slow to clear and still hanging about at 0730hr. On the drive in 100's of mipits were flushed from the roadsides along Trough Lane along most of its moorland length... same applied on the roadsides to Sentry Hill with lots of Swallows about this morning. Once approaching the watchpoint CK was scoping from the road... a Tree Pipit decked out in the scrub and calling... after a while it left to the SW... this set the scene for the morning, with well spaced treepips passing over at variable heights, tzeeing as they went. The last four being together in a loose passage at c1030... with several being heard tzeeing in the sky at one time... one of these was seen to drop out and found landed on a dry stone wall. It was quite obviously tierd (or tame) as it allowed a very close approach for a snap, tzeeing all the time!... no chance like this with a mipit. The total Treepip count mainly SW was 12!!!! a new site record. Also on the move between c0800 and 0930 only when the sky overdrew, were good numbers of Swallows and a few sandies. Swallows were going south, South west and west whilst the sandies were going south east.... not unusual here! Many Swallows forming large temporary gatherings over the farms, embankment and in-byes before moving on. Once again flies were prolific on the embankment, today as yesterday many many large black ones with long trailing legs (upper legs bright orange!!).. will have to look this one up! Waders also again on the move with a large plover sp passing at distance north at 0935 and single Ringed Plovers passing west calling all the time at 0942 and 0954. A flycatcher sp seen hunting in the calm from the tree tops was at lunch time confirmed as Spotted. Mipits as yesterday were ground skipping through west with just a few higher ones this morning also going west. Also a very pronounced move of Grey Wagtails early doors this morning and the max count this year to date.

Moving birds as usual in order of appearance:

Tree Pipit 12 > SW (one W)

LBB Gull 72 > NW and SW

Meadow Pipit 109 > W including a large loose ground skipping group of c70

Grey Wagtail 13 > W

Swallow 265 > S, SW and W

Sand Martin 10 > SE

Goldfinch 15 > W

Goosander 3 > SW

Starling 35 > S

Mistle Thrush 1 > W

Wheatear 1 > SW

Linnet 10 > W

large plover sp 1 > N

Ringed Plover 2 > W

BH Gull 11 > SW

Other:

Spotted Flycatcher 1

Dave