Oxenhope... pent up pigs!! 30-10-2010

Sunrise!!... (c) 2010


Tremendous!!!.... (c) 2010


The Great North Road... (c) 2010

Chaotic Sky.... (c) 2010

Lenticularis up North.... (c) 2010

Victorious Vigra.... (c) 2010

Soil Scape pre Pig!!!... (c) 2010

Pent up Pigs!!.... eight images (c) 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 30 October 2010
Counting period: 7:45-12:00
Weather: SSW F3, 6degC, 65km, 8/8 becoming 3/8 cb over Lakes, QNH 993 rising
Observers: Dave Barker

Moving birds:
Merlin 1 -
Meadow Pipit 23 -
Chaffinch 6 -
Golden Plover 46 -
Fieldfare - 226
Greenfinch 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 15 -
Redwing 115 -
Goldfinch 12 -
Great Black-backed Gull - 1
Mistle Thrush 1 -
Lesser Redpoll 6 -
Stock Dove 1 -
Jackdaw 25 -
Woodpigeon 1045 -
Starling - 117
Skyalrk - 10

Totals: 1651 individuals, 16 species, 4:15 hours

Comments: Broken becoming open skies overnight but overcast by dawn with a very thin open strip to the far east allowing a brilliant sunrise! Becoming broken to scattered during the morning. Wind from a SW qtr and QNH rising all the time... the transition is on its way!! A dramatic sunrise, no doubt inducing the pent up pigs to flow despite the warmish temps and cyclonic conditions. The Chain route was active as was the route out of Lancashire with the east Pennine flyway having birds but not being over endowed! The most interesting observation was due to deep fractus down over the tops to our south... it was obvious that this was totally blocking the pigs on the Chain route and directing them over the watchpoint before going off due east! Many groups did just this and at right angles the the east Pennine flyway birds!! Most of the pig movement was in the first hour and in fact I thought it had stopped but later random viewing out east confirmed flocks, some 100+ moving high south and unusually all morning.... Redwings south at dawn were most likely the tail end of a night migration and a few Fieldfares went NW on the usual heading.... Obvious that the mips havnt finished yet and that Starlings getting going again... just wait for that transition!! All in all a very enjoyable morning after nothing for such a long while!!! Just a note that two observers would probably have clocked twice as many woodies as despite the only moderate numbers, I was struggling to keep all of the routes in check.....

Dave