Thursday, October 29, 2009

Trans Pennine GANZEN SPECTACULAR! 29-10-2009

EXTREME vis this morning... if you hadent known geese were up there you just wouldent have seen them.... EXTREME range and EXTREME height !

They are only record shots so dont expect too much but double click the images to appreciate the detail! The mast on the first one is the Famous Soil Hill structure.... Good for giving scale to flying birds!

See todays report for full details.

















All Images Strictly (c) 2009
Again we hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as we enjoyed finding em in the sky!!
Dave and Howard

Oxenhope... giga flow! 29-10-2009


Big Sun this Morning.... (c) 2009


Pre Sunrise over Soil! (c) 2009


Pre Sunrise.... looking ESE (c) 2009


Pre Sunrise.... looking ENE (c) 2009


Mid Morning Milk Out!! (c) 2009


Multi Cirro sp Skies!!! (c) 2009

Dave checking out the Goose roads... Lancashire routes! (c) 2009

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Thursday 29 October 2009
Counting period: 6:20-12:00
Weather: E F2, 10degC, 65 reducing 25km, 2/8 no sig cirro sp increasing 6/8 stratocumulus, QNH 1020 rising
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber

Moving Birds:
Pink-footed Goose 1945 -
alba wagtail sp. 3 -
finch sp. 476 -
Lapwing 421 -
Stonechat 1 -
Greenfinch 63 -
Common Snipe 4 -
Fieldfare 1699 -
Goldfinch 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 8 -
Redwing 210 -
Siskin 15 -
small gull spec. 500 -
Jackdaw 17 -
Linnet 1 -
Woodpigeon 7461 -
Starling - 1345
Lesser Redpoll 2 -
Skylark 5 -
Chaffinch 46 -
Reed Bunting 2 -
Meadow Pipit 7 -
Brambling 1 -
Red Admiral 8 -

Totals: 14241 individuals, 24 species, 5:40 hours

Comments: Wrynecking to use Andy's nomenclature was certainly the scene here this phenomenal morning of numerical magnificence and diversity!! Even when I arrived at 0620hr Woodpigeons, the first big push, in considerable flocks were starting to hurtl south west at great speed down their east Pennine flank flyway at all ranges beyond the Causeway Foot col... the largest flock seen was c250, with a total of 165 flocks counted and a new site record set, but possibly a considerable number were missed as after a while we found they were also sneaking through behind our backs down the Pennine ridge. By 0820hr the sky to the east was milking out and pig migration slowing. Starlings coming all of the time NW in terms of the last week / few days were exceptionally strong... possibly related to the big early hour Skegness arrival noted off the North Sea up the early hours? 44 flocks went SW, many quite high with the tail wind. The next major movers noted, with the exception of one skein south at sunrise, first seen at 0855 but probably some before, were the pinks... some tremendous skeins went through, exceptionally high over Calderdale, with others way out at the same height over Airdale and above the Pennine watershed, possibly even in Lancashire! 930 went SE, 60 south and the rest W... 14 skeins were located, the largest if which was c450 stong... a tremendous sight! Finch sp were very noteable in their magnitude with many seen at distance and very high whilst concentrating on the pigs... absolutely impossible to be specific on most. Also small gulls were prolific with most moving west and south west at all ranges of vision. A terriffic morning to be out with many many more birds in the sky than we could count for this list... even the two of us were under severe pressure, especially in the first two hours when most of which was moving to our backs (NW) would have been missed!

Dave

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... woodies win!! 29-10-2009

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Thursday 29 October 2009
Counting period: 6:45-9:15
Weather: 6 ok- 4 OKT, SUNNY LATER. FOG INTHE VALLEYS BUT VISIBILITY TO EAST AT LEAST 8 MILES.
Observers: Andy Hanby

Moving Birds:
Greylag Goose 21 -
alba wagtail sp. 7 -
Brambling 1 -
Common Snipe 2 -
Fieldfare 231 -
finch sp. 42 -
Common Gull 59 -
Song Thrush 1 -
Greenfinch 13 -
Stock Dove 1 -
Redwing 58 -
Siskin 2 -
Woodpigeon 2644 -
Goldcrest 2 -
Linnet 21 -
Collared Dove 2 -
Starling 295 -
Lesser Redpoll 20 -
Skylark 23 -
Tree Sparrow 2 -
Reed Bunting 3 -
Meadow Pipit 66 -
Chaffinch 29 -

Totals: 3545 individuals, 23 species, 2:30 hours

Present: Kestrel 1, Golden Plover 500, Lapwing 400, Dunnock 2, Blackbird 5, Blue Tit 1, Great Tit 1, Magpie 1, Jackdaw 60, Rook 30, Carrion Crow 15, Starling 1200

Comments: The Redpoll were all in one low flying flock. Most things going due south today. A bit of a resurgence of meadow Pipits was notable while woodpigeon won the numbers game.


Andy Hanby

Caldene Fields, Low Moor.... woodies dominate! 29-10-2009

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Thursday 29 October 2009
Counting period: 6:45-10:45
Weather: Dry and bright with 60% high thin patchy cloud and mist to the E/S/E and a temp of 9c. Moderate visibility ranging from 5 to 8 miles. No wind was noted thought the watch. These conditions basically remained throughout the watch.
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving Birds:
Grey Heron 1 -
Woodpigeon 2007 -
Carrion Crow 24 + 7
Pink-footed Goose 879 -
Meadow Pipit 12 -
Starling 401 -
Mallard 3 -
alba wagtail sp. 17 -
Chaffinch 12 -
Golden Plover 67 + 52
Blackbird 1 + 1
finch sp. 30 -
Lapwing 2 + 106
Fieldfare 141 -
Greenfinch 99 -
Black-headed Gull 108 + 7
Song Thrush - 1
Goldfinch 12 -
Common Gull 7 -
Redwing 311 -
Lesser Redpoll 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 3
Mistle Thrush - 1
Bullfinch - 1
Stock Dove 2 -
Jackdaw 21 -

Totals: 4337 individuals, 26 species, 4:00 hours

Comments: An excellent watch with Woodies and Geese moving. The Woodies moved to the S and S/W and in general were in relatively small parties 47 under 100 and only 1 large party of 300. The movement was on a broad band and not restricted to the pasture areas of Bierley and Birkenshaw as parties were observed over the industrial areas of Low Moor. A possible question here could be do Woodies require more fuel in cold weather thus keep to the pasture areas where more food is available. Pinks also showed well and 7 skeins were noted flying in various directions. Waders also moved and a high flying Bullfinch, this time to the N was interesting. The tail end of the thrush movement was also noted.


Martyn Priestley

JOHN SUCKLEY

Just heard some very sad news from Johns brother.

John a regular attender at both the Oxenhope and Wharfedale watchpoints and very much into "vis" has most sadly passed away.

It happened.. a heart attack, whilst on Mull on 27th September 2009. Mull was the place he loved and he is now laid to rest there.

Rest in Peace John.... counting Fieldfares from the sky...



The Oxenhope "vis" Team