Harden, Penistone..... woodies excel! 06 and 07-11-2010

Harden, Penistone (S Yorks, England)
Sunday 7 November 2010
Counting period: 7:00-12:00
Weather: fog then mist, only lifting properly at 9 20am. wind N mod-fresh. vis, intermittent but 30m+ from 9 20
Observers: Jeff Lunn Mick Cunningham Dave Pennington Russ Boland (nb MC cont till 3pm but most birds seen 7-noon

Moving birds:
passerine sp. 47 -
Skylark 2+ 14
Starling 1156 -
Merlin 1 -
Meadow Pipit 13 -
Chaffinch 11 -
Lapwing - 14
alba wagtail sp. 2 -
Brambling 1 -
Common Snipe - 9
Blackbird - 3
Goldfinch 5 2
Common Gull - 5
Fieldfare 3 +165
Siskin 2 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2
Redwing 1+ 17
Linnet 1 -
Stock Dove - 6
Jackdaw - 3
Lesser Redpoll 17 -
Woodpigeon 21560 -
Raven 5 -

Totals: 23067 individuals, 23 species, 5:00 hours

Comments: Apols for length of post but easier to cut and paste from my log. WPs were expected to move as yesterday. And they did. Over 21k, beating the 20k over Hall Dike, Hudds in Feb 83!There were probably more as we were flagging at the end and let small parties go uncounted. The cacophony of 'whappety' WP wing noise was awesome. It didn't start well tho. At 7 am me and JL were smothered in fog. Oh dear. But thrushes, starlings and a merlin bashed past our knees and we could hear finches over. DH Pennington joined us. Fog continued. Between 8. 30 and 9 fog clearing and some WPs and other sp milling about. Then lift off from 9.20. WPs in flocks up to 6k. trying to go west but thwarted by huge cloud bank, they diverted SW and SE. Russ Boland arrived. Even with four counting it was hard to keep up. Too much happening to decamp to Chez Mick's for brunch - so Viv brought tea and bacon rolls to watch-point. Ace. Who knows what we missed above the lowering cloud. We could hear pinkfeet unseen. No real spice today, but two wader species, some bops and ravens before finishing at noon. I continued from home, adding Red Kite, more ravens, merlins, and the starlings just kept going. A Brambling sped south. Contrary to trek, much north-bound stuff went NW not NE. And WPs were SW and SE in 56 parties. Starlings NW all day. Green 'pecker notable here - only 3 times in 10yrs - always on good vis days. Mick PRESENT or drifting around: Red Grouse 20+, Kestrel 5, Sparrowhawk 5, Green Woodpecker 1, Carrion Crow 3, Bullfinch 7, Brambling 3 (in plantation), Jay 1, Blue Tit 2, Long-tailed Tit 3+ (not sure if these tits were moving north or not)

Mick Cunningham etal
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Harden, Penistone (S Yorks, England)
Saturday 6 November 2010
Counting period: 7:00-15:30
Weather: 7/8 okta at dawn soon cleared, mainly clear blue sky. v light WSW or SW wind f1 - clear vis
Observers: mick cunningham, nick mallinson from 8. 30 (?), dave pennington from c9am MC alone after 2pm

Moving birds:
Cormorant 2 + 1
Meadow Pipit - 3
finch sp. 18 37
Pink-footed Goose - 150
alba wagtail sp. 2 -
Greenfinch 12 + 5
Goosander - 1
Fieldfare 49 -
Goldfinch 9 + 2
Sparrowhawk 1 + 1
Song Thrush 1 -
Siskin 15 4
Common Buzzard 1 + 1
Mistle Thrush - 1
Twite 1 -
Common Gull - 6
Jackdaw 27 -
Lesser Redpoll 4 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 -
Carrion Crow 4 1
Crossbill 1 -
Stock Dove 1 -
Raven 7 -
Snow Bunting 1 -
Woodpigeon 11204 -
Starling 259 20
Reed Bunting 2 -
Skylark 18 -
Chaffinch 29 + 18

Totals: 11921 individuals, 29 species, 8:30 hours

Present: Cormorant 1, Sparrowhawk 4, Common Buzzard 4, Kestrel 6, Merlin 1, Peregrine 1, Black-headed Gull 30, Lesser Black-backed Gull 11, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Stonechat 1, Song Thrush 1, Jay 2, Magpie 2, Carrion Crow 3, Raven 1, Brambling 4, Reed Bunting 2

Comments: Redwings south in dark at 6am. Massive move of Woodpigeons west/SW in first hour - with one stock dove in a flock. Biggest flock of woods 1000+ strong. MC solo first 1.5 hours so almost overwhelmed, partly owing to varied direction. I undercounted woods as ignored SE birds and ditto N bound stars. Lots of stuff S/W or west but many finches NW at first. Lots of passerines went down as sp as no time to count or ID. Frustratingly, poss waxwings slipped past before nailed and wierd call of something else overhead escaped too - nearest from memory was woodlark, but it got away. Twite and crossbill were good spice. Some pinks east welcomed NM's arrival. Starlings (W) and slarks (S) from mid-morning. I phoned Dave Barker to swap notes at c9 am. He'd not had the pigs. Literally as finishing the call 'bye', I saw Dave P arrive and heard a 'tew' call same time. "Lap bunt?" I asked. NM thought rattle a bit too musical. Noticed dumbstruck Dave P pointing. He was pointing at rapidly departing snow bunt - I didn't see it. Goosander east was good. 11 am onwards Bops up - inc displaying sprawk - and Ravens WSW. Moved position to home for a la carte brunch where new-in stonechat, more bops, inc perry and, in pm, superb merlin. A good day. Mick Cunningham edit -s ome ticked as bold not showing up eg woods, ravens, twite snow bunt.

Mick Cunningham etal