Hunter Hill, Calderdale... 30-10-2009

Cold Edge, Halifax (W Yorks, England)
Friday 30 October 2009
Counting period: 8:30-11:30
Weather: 10c mist and low cloud, poor visibility improving slightly by 11:30. Wind SE F2 -F4
Observers: Dave Sutcliffe

Moving Birds:
Mallard 1 -
Fieldfare 141 + 110
Goosander 1 -
Redwing 9 -
Sparrowhawk 1 -
Mistle Thrush 3 -
Stock Dove 2 -
Jackdaw 16 -
Woodpigeon 8 -
Rook - 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 -
Raven - 2
Meadow Pipit 10 -
Chaffinch - 6

Totals: 313 individuals, 14 species, 3:00 hours

Present: Canada Goose 1, Barnacle Goose 1, Black-headed Gull 62, Common Gull 12, Green Woodpecker 1, Meadow Pipit 88, Robin 1, Stonechat 1, Jay 2, Magpie 18, Carrion Crow 38

Comments: Poor visibility and very little movement this morning other than 141 Fieldfares S and 110 N (but they could have been the same birds returning or disorientated in the mist?) 88 Meadow Pipits were feeding in the nearby quarry and most of the Carrion Crows were around a possible sheep carcass on the moor

Dave Sutcliffe

The Joys of Visible Migration pt. three... Clive McKay

Redwings to the left of me, Fieldfares to the right......

Here is the next installment of Clives brilliant Visible Migration BirdGuides WebZine artical.

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1793

An up to the minute... must to read this time as Bradford is featured.

To find parts one and two look back through the pages of this blog for the links.

Dave

Oxenhope... a welcome rest! 30-10-2009

Pre sunrise sky... looking north west! (c) 2009


Dense fractus steaming through the col at sunrise! (c) 2009


Visibility starting to clear mid am... looking NW (c) 2009


Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Friday 30 October 2009
Counting period: 6:30-9:30
Weather: SE F5, 9degC but feeling bitter cold,200m - 3km dense st fractus from 0700-0900hr, 4/8 becoming 8/8 then 6/8, QNH 1021 falling then rising
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber


Moving Birds:
Cormorant 1 -
Fieldfare - 1
Black-headed Gull 35 -
Starling - 38
Woodpigeon 13 -
Goldfinch 2 -
alba wagtail sp. 3 -

Totals: 93 individuals, 7 species, 3:00 hours

Comments: A Welcome Rest!....After three days of what only in local terms can be called exceptionally intense "GIGA VIS" it is now our turn for a rest! Deep and dense fractus, absent initially was streaming out of Calderdale but only through the Causeway Foot col.... This put paid to any serious avian movement being observed, even if it was there. Infact the BEST spot of the morning was a Globemaster powering east at dawn with its short dark unilluminated contrail spraying out and looking just as a high thick headed skein of geese... and yes we both mistuck it for just that initially until bining, then scoping confirmed otherwise... roll on those days of clear hazeless goose and contrail filled dark blue skies of deep winter. Bird wise the vis was abysmal with nothing in prominence even as the visibility started to to improve. The thrushes have moved on as overflyers from these parts with negative vis... ready for the next "top up" now.


Afternoon Visit:
Counting period: 13:30-17:00
Weather: SSE F5, 12degC, 10km, 8/8 complex, QNH 1018 falling
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber

Moving Birds:
Fieldfare 70 -
Starling - 200

Totals: 270 individuals, 2 species, 3:30 hours

Comments: ..... A visit to check we were missing nothing after news of major bird migrations on their way. Only a single, but notably high flock of Fieldfare through (the first high flock since the mass arrival on Tuesday) at just before 1500hr West. No more thrushes seen but a single 200 strong Starling flock went low NW shortly afterwards on the migratory route. Nothing else moving in the sky at all!


Complex pm Sky (c) 2009

Dave

Caldene Fields, Low Moor... jack snipe! 30-10-2009

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Friday 30 October 2009
Counting period: 6:45-9:30
Weather: A dry start with a temperature of 9c and a F2 to 3 E/S/E wind. At start 40% low cloud to the S/E around 07.30 this increased to around 70% as mist and fog came in from the E/S/E. Visibility was poor decreased from 4 to 2 miles due to low mist and fog.
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving Birds:
Mallard 5 -
Blackbird 4 + 3
Chaffinch 19 -
Jack Snipe 1 -
Fieldfare 48 -
finch sp. 27 -
Black-headed Gull 99 -
Song Thrush 1 -
Greenfinch 65 -
Common Gull 22 -
Redwing 83 -
Goldfinch 42 -
Stock Dove 2 + 3
Mistle Thrush - 1
Lesser Redpoll 1 -
Woodpigeon 61 -
Jackdaw 7 -
Bullfinch - 1
Skylark 2 -
Carrion Crow 47 -
alba wagtail sp. 13 -
Starling 79 -

Totals: 636 individuals, 22 species, 2:45 hours

Comments: Despite the poor weather and viewing conditions I believe many birds were not moving here today as I did have an early ½ hour of reasonable visibility and not many birds were seen or heard. However, at 08.23 I had a ‘ star bird ‘ when I had good views of a low flying Jack Snipe moving S over the fields. The Snipe must have resting nearby and then suddenly decided to get up and continue it’s journey!!!. There was an increase in Goldfinch to the S and Common Gull also increased. A single Bullfinch flew N again and a number of finches flew E in the mist which is somewhat of an unusual direction for finches here

Martyn Priestley