Oxenhope... mipits starting to surge? 23-09-2009

Jays again on the Move.. high.. distant images from a loose flock east... montage! (c) 2009


An Angry Sunrise!... but clear to the east... (c) 2009


Little open sky at all... looking north (c) 2009

Visibility Closing in... looking north east (c) 2009

Under the fractus! (c) 2009

Mid Morning Mipit filled Skies! (c) 2009

0650 - 1100hr Dave Barker Howard Creber

W F3/F4 reducing W F2 later on, 1odegC at 0630, 100km + initially reducing 20km, 7/8 becoming 8/8 complex, QNH 1022 rising.

As expected a much better morning with the weather on the change. Mipits were interesting in that initially up to c0900hr there was only a steady megre flow mainly south. At 0900hr it looked as if things were on the change with mipits starting to pick up on a broad front and also much bigger flocks many of which were high to very high. By 0945hr they were absolutely storming through again nearly all high and in large diffuse flocks of up to 75. There were always more to our east than the west. This continued for some while but was slackening of as we left..... The time has come?? The bird of the day... an unseen flythrough at 0736 was first picked up on approach from the NW at moderate height.... the unmistakeable (well heard by both of us) single "teu" of either a Snow or a Lap!! as it passed by obliquely over head we both heard well... a soft dry "tik i tick" which clinched it.... a Lapland Bunting!!!...it was travelling SE. The first up here on vis for several years! Otherwise Jays on the move again with a loose flock of six going. At 0917hr the single distant zeeek of a Fieldfare was heard but the bird /s could not be located. A large (for here) flock 15 of Dunlin were located moving high SE whilst doing the mipit scans during the late morning.

Moving birds in order of appearance:

Meadow Pipit 1371 > S mostly after 0915hr

Reed Bunting 5 > W

Lapland Bunting 1 > SE

alba wagtail 11 > S and SW

Starling 2 > E

BH Gull 20 > S

Chaffinch 22 > S and W

Swallow 45 > S

Goosander 1 > S

Lapwing 30 > NW

Jay 6 > E

LBB Gull 122 > S

Redpoll 6 > W and SW

Mistle Thrush 2 > W

Snipe 7 > W

Goldfinch 3 > E

Sparrowhawk 1 > S

Common Gull 1 > W

Dunlin 15 > SE... a single flock!

Dave

Caldene Fields... mipits! 23-09-2009

Caldene Fields Watchpoint South Bradford

23rd of September 09 Watch 06.30 –08.30

Weather: A dry start with a temp of 10c and 80% cloud cover. A W/S/W wind to F1/3. At 07.00 thicker cloud came in from the S/W bringing a period of drizzle. This lasted till around 07.30 then cloud cleared from the N/W giving clear skies in that sector with 100% cloud cover in the rest of the sky. These conditions remained till the end of the watch. Visibility was excellent around 06.45 then reduced to around 8 miles till 08.30.

Comments: At first light I had a Daubenton bat keeping me company an uncommon visitor here. Vismig wise it was the window to the N/W which allowed me to observe a good movement of Mipits moving S as well as a slight Westerly movement which was also noted. The Mipits moving S were flying high and if the window had been open from say 07.00 more birds would have been counted. The first Song Thrush came through today and a single party of 17 Alba Wagtail seen when the window was open was a good count.

Black Headed Gull >31 S
Wood Pigeon > 10 E
Meadow Pipit > 41 W + 132 S = 173
Alba Wagtail > 27 S + 3 W = 30
Starling > 9 S
Swallow > 5 N/ W
House Martin > 4 W + 2 S = 6
Mistle Thrush > 5 N
Song Thrush > 1 W
Carrion Crow > 6 S/ S/E
Jackdaw > 2 S
Greenfinch > 52 W/S/W
Goldfinch > 22 W/N/W

Martyn

Reva Hill.... mipits blogging 23-09-2009

Have visited Reva Hill this afternoon and recorded the following;

4 Snipe flushed, Wheatear, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, 6 Skylark, 100 plus Meadow Pipit, a few Grouse & Pheasant.

I found my visit interesting because of the number of Meadow Pipits. The site may be on a migration route as the pipits well out numbered the breeding population there five fold. Also, one Snipe flushed was on the top of Reva Hill ie not in a wet/damp area so was it resting up during a movement?

Regards

Shaun

Shaun

This ties in with our vis count today at Oxenhope when we had a very big broad front surge of mipits south from c 0945 onwards at least until we left at c1100hr your birds would undoubtably have dropped out of the migration later on to rest and feed up.

Our Oxenhope report will be posted as soon as poss, when I have time to do it!

Dave

Bingley Gorge... House Martins and Siskin 23-09-2009

Still c60 House Martins feeding west of Alter Lane above gorge, also a flock of Siskin, at least 50 possibly 100, feeding on Larch cones Hollins plantation east side next to public footpath.

Trem