Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Oxenhope... transitional torrent! 10-11-2009


Sunrise through the Rain...... (c) 2009


Keighley under Clagg!! (c) 2009


Fingers of Fog over the high moors! (c) 2009



Bingley under Clagg!! (c) 2009


Pinks through the pouring rain! (c) 2009
Click to make it bigger!

Pinks in the pouring rain! (c) 2009
Click to make it bigger!
Pinks out over the Ark! (c) 2009



Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Counting period: 7:15-10:30
Weather: W F1 becoming CALM then S F3, 4degC, 65km reducing 30km, initially a thin band of open sky to the far east then 8/8 throughout, light to moderate rain at times, QNH 1011 falling 1010
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber


Moving birds:
Pink-footed Goose 70 -
Meadow Pipit 2 -
Peregrine 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 1 -
Golden Plover 1 -
Blackbird 4 -
Common Snipe 2 -
Fieldfare 5724 -
Black-headed Gull 200 -
Redwing 55 -
Common Gull 25 -
Mistle Thrush 2 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 4 -
finch sp. 3 -
Wood Pigeon 261
Starling 40

Totals: 6395 individuals, 14 species, 3:15 hours

Comments: A phenomenal morning of Fieldfare movement almost certainly a fresh arrival. Initially only moments of a brilliant sunrise beneath a cloud shelf extending out east possibly as far as the upper Humber confirmed clear conditions out over the North Sea, then 8/8 overdraw throughout with the recently commenced light rain becoming gradually heavier. Betweeen 0730 (the first we saw) and c0900hr this am an almighty Fieldfare surge of very high birds in tight massive flocks all coming out of the NE and ENE just below cloud base level. There was no surface movement initially whatsoever and it was only when the rains became more intense and our vision reduced that a few lower flocks were noted but once below the horizon they were very difficult to see!. The light rains didn't seem to bother the birds in high flocks at all to start off with but some high parties did show uncertainty later on as they commenced to pass over the fog bound high moors to our west in the increasingly heavy rain. 51 parties were recorded. Some Redwings seen and heard along the flocks with Blackbirds also seen and heard. Unfortunately it came on to rain quite heavily just after 0900 hr which put a stop to our vision but the birds whilst uncounted probably reduced height but kept going as we did get a few flocks in this later period. Just heard that DJS at Hunter Hill, Cold Edge was also latched onto this movement during the later morning and had a phenomenal flock of c1100 Fieldfares... going through... fantastic stuff Dave! Gull and Starling movement well down this morning and conditions were not condusive to us latching onto the Woodpigeon passage. The skien of pinks came in from the north at c 1000hr and turned SW to go out over the Ark into Lancashire.


Counting period: 15:00-16:45
Weather: S F2 becoming CALM, 6degC, 10km reducing 200m, 8/8, QNH 1009
Observers: Dave Barker


Moving Birds:
Fieldfare 841 -

Totals: 841 individuals, 1 species, 1:45 hours

Present: Little Gull 1

Comments: A further visit on the strength of reports from bS of ongong Fieldfare passage during the late morning and lunchtime periods. Visibility was poor initially but cleared considerably before closing in again. A further six parties of Fieldfare moving SW were detected, the largest of which were c200, all now were low but at cloudbase level and some were coming down in the trees. A second winter Little Gull was in the roost at last light (Keith Moir).

Dave

Queensbury... they came in thousands! 10-11-2009

They came in their 1000s.
10/11/2009 Queensbury.

A beautiful red ball sunrise should have alerted me but the consistent rain made me think otherwise. The walk to work was uneventful and I dismissed any movement until the call from DCB at Oxenhope to say he and HC were getting Fieldfares over in their thousands. Just as I was about to say all was quiet over Qby I looked up to see the sky full of moving birds,hope your ear is ok Dave after the shout down the phone.
Massive flocks were moving over all >S and >SW, the largest being 300 +.
1 flock had an undulating bird in the midst of them which turned out to be a Green Woodpecker, a first for Qby M.O.T.

By 1000hrs all was quiet until a dog walk in Foxhill Park at lunchtime saw another 2 flocks over.

Around 1500hrs 3 flocks came over >E, these birds were either skirting the now approaching fog or they were birds going to roost.

Casual observations only :-

930 Fieldfare Qby MOT a.m. >S & >SW
210 Fieldfare Foxhill , mid day >S
98 Fieldfare Qby MOT, p.m. >E
TOTAL... 1238 Fieldfare.

1 Green Woodpecker >S probably a local bird caught up in the excitment ?
42 Woodpigeons >S

Thanks for call from the Oxenhope team.
Brian Sumner.

Glad you have recovered Brian.... we thought you were about to have a heart attack when you got onto them!!

Dave and Howard

Hunter Hill, Calderdale... fieldfares! 10-11-2009

Cold Edge, Halifax (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Counting period: 9:10-10:40
Weather: Persistent light drizzle throughout. No wind, low cloud, and temperature 5c degrees
Observers: Dave Sutcliffe

Moving Birds:
Cormorant - 2
Herring Gull 1 -
Fieldfare 1557 -
Grey Heron - 1
Woodpigeon 58 -
Redwing 2 -
Pink-footed Goose - 75
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 -
Mistle Thrush 2 -
Mallard 1 -
Skylark 1 -
Chaffinch 1 -
Black-headed Gull 2 -
Meadow Pipit 2 -
Common Gull - 6
alba wagtail sp. 1 -

Totals: 1713 individuals, 16 species, 1:30 hours

Present: Mallard 25, Black-headed Gull 66, Common Gull 44, Wren 3, Robin 1, Jay 1, Magpie 4, Jackdaw 38, Carrion Crow 9

Comments: Unable to get on site early today but productive time all the same after a call from BS about Fieldfare movement over Queensbury/Oxenhope. A massive flock of 1,100 Fieldfare came through at 9:15 followed by smaller flocks of 120, 110, 90, 80, etc and movement tailed off by 10:15. The P F Geese were heading NW at 09:25

Dave Sutcliffe

Caldene Fields, Low Moor... slight fieldfare passage 10-11-2009

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Counting period: 6:45-9:45
Weather: Persistent light rain with 90% dull low cloud and slightly clearer skies to the E. Temp 3c and a reducing visibility from 5 to 2 miles due to mist and fog. No real wind direction noted.
Observers: Martyn Priestley


Moving birds:
Mallard 2 -
Magpie 1 -
Black-headed Gull 19 -
Jackdaw 4 -
Woodpigeon 36 -
Carrion Crow 8 -
Meadow Pipit 1 -
Starling 126 -
alba wagtail sp. 5 -
Chaffinch 3 -
Fieldfare 402 -
Greenfinch 13 -
Redwing 136 -
Goldfinch - 1

Totals: 757 individuals, 14 species, 3:00 hours

Comments: The relatively poor conditions played little part in a poor watch with hardly any movements noted today. All finches and even Gull numbers were down and very few overhead calls were heard. There was however, a small movement of Fieldfare noted coming in from the Bierley area to the S/W with the possibility of further birds moving further E. A magpie moved high to the S/W for over 4 miles and was thought to a genuine moving bird.

Martyn Priestley

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... quick gander! 10-11-2009

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Counting period: 7:30-8:30
Weather: 8 ok WNW 2 Intermittent light rain at first with more continuous rain from 0820
Observers: Andrew Hanby


Moving Birds:
Common Gull 127 -
Chaffinch 7 -
Woodpigeon 71 -
Greenfinch 1 -
Meadow Pipit 7 -
Goldfinch 5 -
Fieldfare 333 -
Linnet 3 -
Redwing 21 -

Totals: 575 individuals, 9 species, 1:00 hours

Present: Golden Plover 65, Lapwing 350, Grey Wagtail 3, Blue Tit 1

Comments: Another quick gander before work and till about 0820 the going was slow , but with the onset of heavier rain the Fieldfares started to pile through with flocks of 29 , 18, 82, 71, 120 in the last 10 mins (in that oder- flocks getting bigger!). I was sad to go but work beckoned.

Andy