Oxenhope.... diverse day! 28-08-2010

Pre sunrise today.... (c) 2010


First rosey glow over Airedale... (c) 2010


Snipe.... powering through WNW... (c) 2010



Snipe going through... (c) 2010

A Snipey morning... (c) 2010

Dunlin 1#2 straight through... coming off the north end weaving... twisting and away NW... a montage (c) 2010

Yellow legged Gull through N.... (c) 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 28 August 2010
Counting period: 6:09-11:09
Weather (first period): W F3, 10degC, 65km, 6/8, recent drizzle, QNH 1017
Observers (first period): Dave Barker

Moving birds:
Mallard - 9
Black-headed Gull 6 -
Tree Pipit 2 -
Sparrowhawk 1 -
Common Gull 2 -
Meadow Pipit 90 -
Common Buzzard 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 126 -
Grey Wagtail 1 -
Peregrine 2 -
Herring Gull 2 -
alba wagtail sp. 1 -
Oystercatcher 2 -
Short-eared Owl 1 -
Raven 1 -
Golden Plover 11 + 4
Swift 1 -
Starling 45 -
Dunlin - 2
Sand Martin 18 -
Common Snipe - 26
Swallow 106 -

Totals: 460 individuals, 22 species, 5:00 hours

Present: Teal 4, Goosander 31, Curlew 1, Lesser Black-backed Gull 73

Comments: Period One. Open sky overnight, overdrawing from west with cloud / clear interface overhead at 0600hr. QNH rising overnight with wind from a westerly quarter throughout. Some drizzle on front edge of cloud but ceasing before start time. Meadow Pipits moving well all but the first ones (north) going west... no suggestion that movement from the north has reached us here yet. Lessers going S, Snipe WNW, Tree Pip SW, Golden Plover NE, SE Owl SE, Starlings S..... Goosander roost 31 breaking 0630; Period Two....Mipits petering out with Swallows taking their place with the first Swallow at 0740. Lessers as usual at this time of year in two streams NW and S. Mipits W, Raven S, Grey Wag SW, Pegs W and S, Common Gull S......; Period Three.... brief showers at 0840 and 0901. Sphawk SE, Starling S, BH Gull S, Snipe WNW.; Period Four..... Showers close by but remaining dry til 0945 when brief heavy shower. Common Gull SW, Tree Pip SW, alba SW, Dunlin WNW, Sand Martin S, Snipe WNW, Buzzard SE.....; Period Five.....Mallard WNW, Golden Plover SE, Swift SW, Snipe WNW. Becoming very thin towards the end with heavy shower at 1028.....

Counting period: 16:00-18:00
Weather: WNW F6 gusting F8, 14degC, 65km, intermittent rain - brilliant sun, 4/8, QNH 1017
Observers: Dave Barker, Keith Moir

Moving birds:
Ringed Plover - 4
Herring Gull 3 -
Black-headed Gull 31 -
Yellow-legged Gull - 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 59 -

Totals: 98 individuals, 5 species, 2:00 hours

Comments: No passerines in the sky whatsoever but gulls and waders still battleing. YLG arrived from SE at c1730 and left N! at 1758... there are snaps of this and some of todays vis when there is chance to process etc but time to get ready for tomorrow now.

Not Oxenhope but definately Visible Migration! Keith had a juvenile Kittiwake leaving Redcar Tarn SSE late this morning... a beautiful bird in good condition... but it didnt arrive here!

Dave