Contrail Vis... 09-11-2009

Pilatus PC-12/47 (c) 2009


Pilatus PC-12/27 (c) 2009


Emirates Airlines... destination Manchester (c) 2009

Dave and Howard

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... blue blue sky! 09-11-2009

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Monday 9 November 2009
Counting period: 7:00-8:00
Weather: 2 oktas with the cloud as a bank to NE and E. 3c with frost in the valleys and some haze. N 1-2
Observers: Andrew Hanby

Moving Birds:
Canada Goose 4 -
finch sp. 5 -
Lapwing 35 -
Goldfinch 4 -
Woodpigeon 2025 -
Snow Bunting 1 -
Chaffinch 2 -

Totals: 2076 individuals, 7 species, 1:00 hours

Present: Kestrel 1, Golden Plover 45, Lapwing 137, Stock Dove 3

Comments: An absolutely cracking morning with a blue blue sky. The high spots in a pre-work watch were 1) woodpigeons both over the vale of York and also in decent numbers to the West of me- no doubt Destined to fly over Oxenhope and 2) A single female/immature Snow bunting that flew low WSW past me looping a bit and giving splendid views in the fantastic light. The light movement of Fieldfares was really quite high. Higher still were three flocks of birds which I think may have been ducks - totalling as many as 150 birds- but they were so high that watering eyes and my telescope could make no real sense of them and they moved South. It is interesting to note that the number of Lapwings and Golden Plover around the place is well down suggesting that the movement at the weekend was truly a bit of a clear out.

Andy

Oxenhope...open skies today! 09-11-2009

Zero ok at Dawn (c) 2009


Above the Inversion (c) 2009


Zero ok at Noon (c) 2009

Pinks going east (c) 2009

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Monday 9 November 2009
Counting period: 7:00-11:45
Weather: Calm becoming N F1, -1degC inversion-colder lower down, 65km reducing 45, 0/8 throughout, QNH 1020 rising then falling 1019
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber

Moving Birds:
Pink-footed Goose 70 -
Herring Gull 1 -
Chaffinch 1 -
Greylag Goose 10 -
Woodpigeon 1402 -
Brambling 1 -
Goosander 32 -
Skylark 2 -
finch sp. 5 -
Peg 2 -
Meadow Pipit 2 -
Greenfinch 9 -
Golden Plover 6 -
alba wagtail sp. 2 -
Goldfinch 21 -
Lapwing 30 -
Blackbird 1 -
Linnet 1 -
Black-headed Gull 750 -
Fieldfare 368 -
Reed Bunting 3 -
Common Gull 100 -
Redwing 55 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 35 -
Starling 194 -

Totals: 3103 individuals, 25 species, 4:45 hours

Comments: An ideallic morning to be out in the hills with inversion mist below but crystal clear ridge to ridge. Deep frost at c800ft but up here at the watchpoint relatively mild and even hot in the early morning sun with only a slight frost. Initially Woodpigeons moving south down the eastern foothills of the Pennines and beyond with a total of 62 parties biggest c100. This movement slowed long before and had albut stopped by 0900hr. A single skein of pinks went high east at 0905... given the conditions we thought there would be more, but not to be. An exceptionally high skien of Goosanders at first thought to be geese went south and a contiunation of the peg movement east with two noted today. A pure flock of 35 LBB Gulls (excl a single Herring Gull) passed SE out over Airedale and small gulls continued to surge!

Dave