Oxenhope... block!! 23-10-2010

Pre Sunrise.... (c) 2010


Vegra over the Bush!.... (c) 2010


Eggborough belching forth.... (c) 2010

Snow Buntings on Soil.... just to prove that our flyovers do sometimes come down!!... Three Images (c) Brian Vickers 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 23 October 2010
Counting period: 7:30-10:50
Weather (first period): W F2/3, 7degC, 100km E, 8/8 stratocumulus stratiformis, QNH 998 troughing
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber


Moving birds:
Grey Heron - 1
Meadow Pipit 11 -
Brambling 49 -
Sparrowhawk 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 4 -
finch sp. 7 -
Kestrel 4 -
Fieldfare - 259
Greenfinch 10 -
Merlin 1 -
Redwing 110 -
Goldfinch 25 -
Lapwing 55 -
Mistle Thrush 1 -
Siskin 41 -
Black-headed Gull 16 -
Jackdaw 3 -
Lesser Redpoll 2 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 11 -
Raven 1 -
Lapland Bunting 1 -
Woodpigeon 101 -
Chaffinch 16 -
Reed Bunting 1 -

Totals: 731 individuals, 24 species, 3:20 hours

Comments: PRE PERIOD. Broken to overcast overnight with some rain. Overcast from dawn but improving befor deep fog and rain advancing and enveloping from the north by 1030hr. Wind SW becoming W, then N. QNH troughing 998 at dawn then rising. Sunrise a none event!; ......PERIOD ONE: A diverse morning but with little magnitude, that is except for Brambling which were outstanding with I think my biggest ever flock (40) going close in west. Siskin were also strong! Not a single Starling on the NNW "continental" track today which with out access to the rainfall radar animation would just be unexplainable! but a quick look confirmed a total weather block overnight with a very substantial mass of rain moving east over a large area of the country further south which would no doubt have cut off / diverted their flow? Interesting that Fieldfares were travelling NNW but Redwing SW and SE!!; ..... PERIOD TWO: Fieldfare and Redwing directions continuing as previous. A Merlin batting through was exciting, Several groups of Lapwing going SW were interesting as no such movement on prior days. An influx of Kestrel extra over the norm.; .....PERIOD THREE: A reduction in bird flow with everything closing down at 1030hr when deep fog and rain advancing from the north enveloped all. Then intention was to stay and do another two periods but little point as conditions were terminal in the short term! A Lapland Bunting went through ticking and tueing just in advance of the close down and in front of the weather.

News came later on that Keith Moir had located a Snow Bunting on Soil Hill in the morning (top one), just to prove that our flyovers here do sometimes come down!!!.... very excellent snaps, all Soil Hill, by Brian Vickers.

Dave and Howard