Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... 10-10-2010

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Sunday 10 October 2010
Counting period: 7:10-12:33
Weather: Poor vis at first mist- vis minimum of half a mile increaing to about 4 miles by end of watch with sun at end. Wind NE 4-5. Mild
Observers:

Moving birds;
Canada Goose 19 -
Meadow Pipit 25 -
Starling - 753
Sparrowhawk 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 5 -
Tree Sparrow - 9
Dunlin 2 -
Song Thrush - 8
Chaffinch - 45
Black-headed Gull - 50
Redwing - 806
Brambling - 6
Common Gull - 249
Mistle Thrush - 1
finch sp. 18 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 7
Blackcap - 1
Greenfinch - 6
Herring Gull - 1
Long-tailed Tit 31 -
Siskin - 6
Collared Dove - 2
Coal Tit 2 -
Yellowhammer - 1
Skylark 89 -
Blue Tit 15 -
Reed Bunting 2 -
Swallow 7 -
Great Tit 6 -

Totals: 2173 individuals, 29 species, 5:23 hours

Present: Common Buzzard 3, Kestrel 3, Golden Plover 450, Lapwing 450, Stock Dove 4, Woodpigeon 10, Dunnock 2, Magpie 2

Comments: Generally more diverse but with less redwings than yesterday. Two Dunlin ESE late in the watch was a first for this site ( but we did have 1 0r 2 at the other Stainburn watchpoint in the past). Gulls particularly Common Gulls seemed to be making a NE move today and were picking up towards the end of this period of watching with one flock of 92 bolstering the count. Ci=ontrary to the West side of the Pennines pigeons if anything were very sparse. Skylarks were undercounted- several times we heard birds and didn't pick them up; given that the largest flock size seen was 25, that may amount to alot of missed birds for the unseen callers which went down as '1'. Seven swallows first thing headed off South after feeding around the farms for an hour or so. Redwing were well down on Yesterday with, I suspect a west shift, nevertheless they still amounted to 806 birds headed varieties of N to WNW ( contrary to yesterdays ESE vector). The Long Tailed tits were the most spectacular performers with a single flock of 31 WSW along the hedge- magnificent ( on the Dave Barker enthusiasm scale [similar to the Richter], I would rate it an 8 ). A single Male Blackcap flew ENE along the hedge. Starlings showed there first convincing movement for some while with 753 through WNW.

........................
Counting period: 14:10-15:10
Weather: Bright, hazy, F 3-4 NE wind; warm
Observers: A Hanby

Moving birds:
Black-headed Gull -
12 Coal Tit 4 -
Common Gull - 256
Blue Tit 1 -
Meadow Pipit 1 -

Totals: 274 individuals, 5 species, 1:00 hours

Present: Wheatear 1

Comments: Another look just in case a mega movement underway. Common Gulls still going through in good Numbers ENE and the Wheatear from yesterday revealed itself again.

Andy and John