Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... slow! 18-04-2010

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Sunday 18 April 2010
Counting period: 6:05-11:40
Weather (first period): at first 0/8 cloud 3C and no wind; later 6/8 cloud 12C, wind 0-1 SW.
Observers (first period): Andrew Hanby, John Blacker

Moving Birds:
Cormorant 1 + 2
Herring Gull - 1
Starling - 4
Grey Heron - 1
Swallow 4 + 7
Goldfinch - 12
Golden Plover - 11
Meadow Pipit 5 + 162
Linnet - 7
Curlew - 6
Grey Wagtail - 1
redpoll sp. - 1
Black-headed Gull - 24
Willow Warbler 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 25
Jay - 2

Totals: 277 individuals, 16 species, 5:35 hours

Present: Greylag Goose 2, Mallard 2, Red Kite 8, Common Buzzard 2, Oystercatcher 3, Golden Plover 100, Lapwing 7, Curlew 8, Stock Dove 7, Collared Dove 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Skylark 12, Swallow 4, alba wagtail sp. 4, Dunnock 2, Blackbird 3, Fieldfare 139, Mistle Thrush 1, Willow Warbler 1, Blue Tit 1, Magpie 3, Jackdaw 6, Rook 70, Carrion Crow 6, Chaffinch 4, Greenfinch 1

Comments: Mostly AH solo, JB badly 'man flued'. Another Slender day, but Mips still going down the East side; hourly counts 50, 39, 16, 16, 29 (last =35 mins). A flock of 16 LBBGs made up a lot of the LBBG count; these all headed in a Pateley Bridge type direction- ? end up more N than Oxenhope birds. Still big group of Fieldfares (139) around- this bit of the East Pennine/ Vale of York interface seems to be a bit of a reservoir for them at this time of the year. Slow!

Andy and John