Oxenhope... kite flying high! 02-05-2010

Kite flying high south!... montage (c) 2010

NE F3, 3degC, 65km, 6/8 increasing 8/8, intermittent showers, QNH1015 rising.

0650 - 1045hr

A most nasty bitter cold morning morning for early May.... Even muffed up with hats, fleeces, leggings and gloves it was distinctly unpleasant at this altitude... with hands ending up like bunches of bananas to say the least. Passerines were almost zero with most unusually Goldfinches coming out top... but as usual the lessers didnt seem to mind with the best day this year so far. Again movement at all altiutudes with some exceptionally high and in a multitude of northerly directions. A Kite was the best bird by far soaring exceptionaly high and distant S on the wind... even in the scope it was just an interesting spot in the sky... but the electronic eye had no such trouble easily resolving enough detail despite the dismal skies and dark light. Sadly for here a "one off" through south and not to return.

Moving Birds:

Lesser black backed Gull 178 > N

Kite 1 > S

Curlew 1 > E

Goldfinch 15 > NW

Meadow Pipit 1 > N

Swallow 3 > N

Wheatear 2 > N

Dave