Pennine Skywatch: 11 Nov 2009

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Oxenhope... after the storm! 11-11-2009

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Wednesday 11 November 2009
Counting period: 7:00-10:30
Weather: ENE F1/CALM becoming ESE F2 at 0945, 4degC (frost at lower altitudes), 65km reducing 15km, 5/8 reducing, QNH 1007 falling
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber

Moving Birds:
Golden Plover 4 -
Blackbird 1 -
Lapwing 23 -
Fieldfare 395 -
Black-headed Gull 50 -
Redwing 486 -
Common Gull 5 -
Starling - 148
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 -
finch sp. 48 -
Woodpigeon 181 -
Greenfinch 10 -
Meadow Pipit 1 -
Goldfinch 3 -
alba wagtail sp 6 -
Grey Wagtail 1 -

Totals: 1355 individuals, 16 species, 3:30 hours

Comments: Yesterdays masses now moved through and no doubt today someone elses vis! Nevertheless a terriffic morning to be out from first light with almost calm conditions allowing much bird movement at very high altitudes. Sky was 5/8 overdrawn (open to the NE) with stratocumulus startiformis perlucidus with a sharp edge gradually moving SW but later considerable fractus forming and visibility reducing dramatically. From our first arrival small tight ball parties of thrushes (up to 70) could be seen exceptionally high whilst scoping out and up in to the distant east all were moving SW. No doubt they were moving overhead and to our west as well but only the silhouette against the back lit dawn upper sky allowed these exceptionally high birds to be seen. Most of the initial parties were pure Redwing, but some were Fieldfare and some were mixed with ballance in favour of Redwing. The height was difficult to estimate but a constant cloudbase level of 4000ft was established and some of the flocks would not be much below that as they entered its overdraw from the NE! most were just invisible through 10x binoculars! From 0800hr an increasing number of the parties were seen to just whiffle drop like stones out of the upper sky in one fall into woods on the edge of the moor at various distances and beyond.. a stimulating experience and the obvious end to a night migration! Also noted in the high early upper sky was a very good movement of finch sp.. considered due to exceptional height and direction of movement to be fresh arrivals. After 0830hr there was very little in the sky at all and it seemed to get colder as the wind swung into the ESE bringing with it the obnoxious chemical odours from industrial W Yorks... chokeingly terrible! There was almost no surface or even medium ht movement at all this morning. After a run of reducing numbers over recent days gull sp were almost absent!

Dave