Oxenhope... pipit pleasure! 03-04-2010

Meadow Pipit... now back in numbers! four images (c) 2010

Killer Crow! (c) 2010

Starlings or' the in-bye... (c) 2010

Crows going North (c) 2010

Golden Plovers on the Move... several skeins... two images (c) 2010

Spring Migration! (c) 2010

Cumulonimbus... detail... (c) 2010

SE F1 becoming CALM then SW F2/3, 3degC, 200m - 65km, 8/8 reducing 4/8 fog - stratocumulus - cumulonimbus, QNH 998 rising.

0705 - 1300hr

Heavy rain around dawn soon quelled but the fogs formed and rolled in for a while but immediately upon passing through mips were noted on the move in well spaced flocks all north with the majority of groups larger than noted to date.. still a few singles and fews but it was grand to see the larger groups moving with intent... not massive numbers involved but the largest group was c36. Lots of mips now back on the moors with song and display everywhere... again grand to see and hear the moors so lively again. The mips were moving all morning but tailing off a bit after 1100hrs. A total of six Snipe were about in the sky with lots of territorial display and activity. Lesser BB Gulls gave the best performance to date wit a considerable passage starting after 1030hr, again to continue for the rest of the visit. Small gulls again almost absent throughout. During the late morning it dropped calm and the wind when recommencing had swung from the SE to SW. In conjunction with this after 1130hr a single Swallow was noted going N followed in a while by another, then another... and several more singles... the front of an obvious wave. Interestingly also the late morning an lunch time period saw a resurgence of Skylark passage (phase 2?). The largest group was five and all were going west, with most after the wind swing from the SW....Fieldfare again on the move with a single flock of several hundred very high NE and Starlings still in large groups around with some movement apparent.... hope we have lost these manky easterlies now for a while... from the SW is much better in all respects!!

Moving Birds:

Meadow Pipit 138 > N

Goldfinch 1 > W

Linnet 1 > W

C Crow 14 > N

alba wagtail 6 > N and NW

Lesser BB Gull 66 > NW

Skylark 16 > W

Golden Plover 61 > NW

Swallow 8 > N

Fieldfare c250 > N and NE

Starling c350 > E and NE

BH Gull 2 > N

Other:

Snipe 6

All in all a good morning considering it is only spring!

Dave