Cold Edge/ Hunter Hill, Calderdale... 17-10-2009

Cold Edge/Hunter Hill, Calderdale

Vis Mig - Location - Hunter Hill - (Thrushes, Starlings and Crossbills)
Saturday 17th October 2009
Counting period 07:20 - 10:20
Weather - 7 degrees C wind NW F1 clear to the east and cloud to the west becoming hazy F2 by 09:30 and by 10:00 temperature to 9 degrees C

3 seperate hour counts and totals of moving birds SW to W (unless stated otherwise)

Meadow Pipit - 72, 16, 10 = 98
Fieldfare - 346, 413, 642 = 1,401
Redwing - 190, 128, 184 = 502
Starling - 301, 211, 256 = 768
Blackbird - 0, 12, 1 = 13 >N
Mistle Thrush - 0, 21, 5 = 26

Chaffinch - 12, 3, 6 = 21 >N
Greenfinch - 2, 7, 0 = 9 >N

Woodpigeon - 125, 66, 7 = 198

Lapwing - 13, 0, 28 = 41

Jackdaw - 34, 21, 12 = 67

Herring Gull - 0, 2, 1 = 3
Lesser B B Gull - 0, 0, 1 = 1
B H Gull - 89, 12, 8 = 109 >S
Common Gull - 0, 0, 1 = 1 >S

other moving birds (first hour)
alba wagtails 2
Linnet 1
Mallard 3 >E
Snipe 2
Golden Plover 1
Stock Dove 1
Greylag Goose 21 at 07:45

other moving birds (3rd hour)
Skylark 2
Goldfinch 6
Crossbill 31 came directly overhead from Ogden direction calling as they headed towards Roils Head/Calder Valley? I have since spent some time cleaning up my scope after I foolishly placed my coffee on top of the scope as the crossbills flew over!

Total moving birds - 3,328 individuals of 25 species

Other birds present
1 Green Woodpecker, 3 Little Owl, 6 Magpie, 20 Carrion Crow, 2 Pheasant, and 1 each Robin and Wren

Dave Sutcliffe

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... 17-10-2009

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Saturday 17 October 2009
Counting period: 7:15-11:30
Weather: 5 oktas wind NNW 1 Haze mild
Observers: A Hanby, J Blacker


Moving Birds:
Greylag Goose - 41
Swallow 1 -
Rook 57 -
Anser spec. 56 + 573
Meadow Pipit 35 -
Carrion Crow 10 -
Canada Goose - 2
alba wagtail sp. 9 -
Raven - 4
Honey Buzzard 1 -
Blackbird - 1
Starling - 2225
Sparrowhawk 5 -
Fieldfare 4 + 3338
Tree Sparrow 14 -
Merlin - 1
Song Thrush - 5
Chaffinch 18 -
Common Snipe 4 -
Redwing - 2520
Brambling 1 -
Black-headed Gull - 85
Mistle Thrush 2 -
Greenfinch 7 -
Common Gull - 45
Turdus spec. - 20
Goldfinch 5 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 -
Blue Tit 1 -
Siskin 1 -
Woodpigeon - 382
Jay 2 1
Linnet 5 -
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 + 1
Magpie 4 -
Lesser Redpoll 1 -
Skylark - 17
Jackdaw 435 -
Crossbill 1 -

Totals: 9945 individuals, 39 species, 4:15 hours

Present: Mallard 4, Red Kite 8, Common Buzzard 2, Kestrel 3, Golden Plover 550, Lapwing 300, Common Snipe 3, small gull spec. 4600, Dunnock 1, Mistle Thrush 3, Long-tailed Tit 1, Starling 1100, Chaffinch 4, Linnet 3

Comments: Initially done as increments but didn't work for some reason. The gulls 'about' were actually the large numbers flying North east Just after dawn from the Eccup reservoir roost. The geese possibly came from here, but as the morning wore on ( see later it was apparent that many were from further West. Most were, we suspect, Greylags, but some contenders for Pink feet were also seen but too distant. The other present counts refer to the whole watch combined. The corvids during this period almost certainly represent the exit from a nearby roost. This count is the whole watch as the incremental watches glitched and merged stuff rather erratically. The Honey Buzzard went ESE - was a juv and extremely close! Most of the Jackdaws were post roost but 55 later on inc a party of 25 high west over the Wharfe were probably true migrants- a shame we can't denote E and W on trek. The 4 Ravens were to together tumbling and playing as they headed slowly from the Wharfe NE over the ridge. The Tree Sparrows were in one noisy flock heading South.


Counting period: 15:00-16:00
Weather: 5 Oktas wind NNW 1 Haze cool
Observers: A Hanby,


Moving Birds:
Cormorant 1 -
Common Gull 38 -
Pink-footed Goose 200 -
Woodpigeon 2 -
Anser spec. 5 -

Totals: 246 individuals, 5 species, 1:00 hours

Present: Wigeon 17, Common Buzzard 1, Golden Plover 600, Lapwing 400

Comments: The anser spec refer to 5 all white geese in with the closest flock of pink feet; I presume albino pinks as same size. Pinkfeet were 50, 48, 27 in from NW and South and 75 in from NE and SW. The wigeon flew East and went down to N of me


Andy Hanby and John Blacker

Nab End, Rombalds Moor... 17-10-2009

Nab End, Rombalds Moor – 17 Oct 2009

The steep climb up to Nab End just before 07.30 was noticeable for the lack of conversation as John and I gulped for more oxygen.
We missed the pre-sunrise check all but for the last eight minutes when nothing was seen or heard.
Weather – a light northerly wind greeted us with a 90% cloud cover and fair visibility. Between 08.50 and 09.00, low thin cloud came in from the NE producing light drizzle and poorer visibility. This soon passed and conditions improved greatly with high broken cloud and the occasional short sunny break. The light wind dropped further to being just noticeable.

First period
Unidentified gulls – 2 SW
Redwing – 56 S, 80 SW total 136
Woodpigeon – 6 W
BHG – 1 W
Meadow Pipit – 9 S, 1SW total 10
Fieldfare – 15 S
Chaffinch – 6 NW
Finch sp. -3 S, 4 NE total 7

Second period
Chaffinch – 5 NE, 1 W, 3 NW total 9
L B B – 3 W
Meadow Pipit – 3 NW, 2 S total 5
Goldfinch – 1 S
Woodpigeon – 2 SW, 30 W total 33
Fieldfare – 50 W, 60 NW, 1 S total 111
Starling – 2 SW
Skylark – 2 E

Third period
Fieldfare – 25 W, 444 NW total 469
Woodpigeon – 5 W, 4 NW, 7 N total 16
Siskin - 1 NW
Starling - 5 NW
Meadow Pipit – 1 S, 1 SW, 2 N total 4
Chaffinch – 4 N, 1 W total 5
Redwing – 123 NW
Skylark – 8 NW

Grand totals – Fieldfare 595, Redwing 259, Woodpigeon 55, Meadow Pipit 19, Starling 7, Chaffinch 20, Skylark 10, LBB 3, BHG 1, Siskin 1 Goldfinch 1,
Finch sp. 7

A more productive morning but not convinced that the site is worth covering next year.

Shaun Radcliffe & John Preshaw.

Oxenhope... first big fieldfare passage 17-10-2009

Pre sunrise this morning... looking east (c) 2009


Sunrise obscured at 0735.... thus deep cloud to the far east (c) 2009


Looking east north east mid morning... line of sight to Andy and Johns watchpoint on the furthest horizon mid photo.... Click to make it BIGGER! (c) 2009



Thrushes on the move (c) 2009





More Thrushes on the move (c) 2009


Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 17 October 2009
Counting period: 7:00-7:35 Totals
Weather: NW F1, 7degC, 6/8 clear to east, 45km, QNH 1032 falling
Observers: Dave Barker


Moving Birds:
Dunnock 1 -
Redwing - 645
Fieldfare - 25
Lesser Redpoll 6 -
Song Thrush - 11

Totals: 688 individuals, 5 species, 0:35 hours

Comments: 0700-0735 Redwings moving at first light out over Airdale assumed to be back end of a night migration. All were high. Song Thrush contacts interesting. A Dunnock dropped into the wood from the east.


Counting period: 7:35-8:35 Totals
Weather: NW F1, 7degC, 6/8 clear to east, 45km, QNH 1032 falling
Observers: Dave Barker


Moving Birds:
Pink-footed Goose 36 -
Meadow Pipit 8 -
Starling - 181
Peregrine 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 4 -
Chaffinch 14 -
Golden Plover 22 -
Blackbird - 5
Siskin 6 -
Lapwing 12 -
Fieldfare - 59
Linnet 3 -
Common Snipe 6 -
Song Thrush - 1
Lesser Redpoll 9 -
Black-headed Gull 16 -
Redwing - 364
Reed Bunting 2 -
Woodpigeon 74 -
Mistle Thrush - 3

Totals: 826 individuals, 20 species, 1:00 hours

Present: Green Woodpecker

Comments: ......0735-0835hr Thrush movement slackend off initially going west but swinging to NW and N. Pinkfeet went south at 0750hr.


Counting period: 8:35-9:35 Totals
Weather: W F1, 7degC, 8/8, 45km becoming more hazy, QNH 1032 falling
Observers: Dave Barker


Moving Birds:
Black-headed Gull 48 -
Redwing - 245
Woodpigeon 55 -
Jackdaw 21 -
Meadow Pipit 8 -
Starling - 200
alba wagtail sp. 3 -
Chaffinch 14 -
Stonechat 2 -
Greenfinch 7 -
Fieldfare - 164
Lesser Redpoll 2 -

Totals: 769 individuals, 12 species, 1:00 hours

Comments: .....0835 - 0935hr bird movement still at almost background level. Jackdaws going west.


Counting period: 9:35-10:35 Totals
Weather: NW F2, 8degC, 6/8, 30km becoming more hazy, QNH 1032 falling
Observers: Dave Barker


Moving Birds:
Black-headed Gull 75 -
Blackbird - 2
Siskin 31 -
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 -
Fieldfare - 980
Lesser Redpoll 3 -
Skylark 55 -
Redwing - 1280
Bullfinch 3 -
Meadow Pipit 5 -
Raven 1 -
Reed Bunting 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 1 -
Starling - 366
Stonechat 1 -
Chaffinch 12 -

Totals: 2817 individuals, 16 species, 1:00 hours

Comments: ......0935-1035hr Thrush movement starting to pick up quite dramatically all going NW and N. Bullfinches went west as did Gt Spotted Woodpecker.


Counting period: 10:35-11:35 Totals
Weather: N F1, 9degC, 7/8, 30km becoming more hazy, QNH 1032 falling
Observers: Dave Barker


Moving Birds:
Pink-footed Goose 61 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 4 -
Redwing - 451
Sparrowhawk 1 -
Woodpigeon 13 -
Starling - 163
Kestrel 1 -
Skylark 27 -
Chaffinch 6 -
Lapwing - 1023
Meadow Pipit 8 -
Brambling - 8
Black-headed Gull 138 -
alba wagtail sp. 2 -
Goldfinch 11 -
Common Gull 14 -
Fieldfare - 1608

Totals: 3539 individuals, 17 species, 1:00 hours

Comments: .....1035-1135hr Thrush movement continuing including some Brambling in singles and twos. Large skeins of Lapwings began to appear out of the south east. Pinks went south east.


Counting period: 11:35-13:00 Totals
Weather: WNW F3 - NE F3 by 1200hr, 10degC, 6/8, 30km becoming more hazy, QNH 1032 falling
Observers: Dave Barker


Moving Birds:
Cormorant - 1
Black-headed Gull 62 -
Magpie 1 -
Pink-footed Goose 121 -
Skylark 21 -
Jackdaw 43 -
Wigeon 3 -
Meadow Pipit 4 -
Starling - 523
Golden Plover 21 -
Fieldfare - 545
Chaffinch 6 -
Lapwing - 290
Redwing - 71
Lesser Redpoll 6 -
Common Snipe 4 -
Mistle Thrush - 2

Totals: 1724 individuals, 17 species, 1:25 hours


Comments: .....1139-1300hr Fieldfare movement continuing but Redwings slackening off. Starling movement continuing and picking up dramatically after lunch time. Jackdaws went west. Pinks went south east. All in all and exceptional morning without doubt refecting an arrival overnight reacing us by mid morning. Well worth hanging on for during the slackness of the early morning. Without doubt it was the long views that did it for the thrushes today and the fact that they were high against the grey of 8 ok.

GRAND DAY TOTALS:

Cormorant - 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 -
Raven 1 -
Pink-footed Goose 218 -
Skylark 103 -
Starling - 1433
Wigeon 3 -
Meadow Pipit 33 -
Chaffinch 52 -
Sparrowhawk 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 10 -
Brambling - 8
Kestrel 1 -
Dunnock 1 -
Greenfinch 7 -
Peregrine 1 -
Stonechat 3 -
Goldfinch 11 -
Golden Plover 43 -
Blackbird - 7
Siskin 37 -
Lapwing 12 + 1313
Fieldfare - 3381
Linnet 3 -
Common Snipe 10 -
Song Thrush - 12
Lesser Redpoll 26 -
Black-headed Gull 339 -
Redwing - 3056
Bullfinch 3 -
Common Gull 14 -
Mistle Thrush - 5
Reed Bunting 3 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 4 -
Magpie 1 -
Woodpigeon 142 -
Jackdaw 64 -

Totals: 10363 individuals, 37 species, 6:00 hours

Present: Green Woodpecker 1




Dave