Oxenhope.... palumbus power!! 07-11-2010

Our Window on the E Flank Flyway... perfect obs conditions... Six Images (c) 2010

Opening Skies..... (c) 2010

The East Outlook... late am!!... (c) 2010

The BIG Moor this lunchtime.... (c) 2010

Pinkie Skeins at HEAD CHOPPING HEIGHT...!!!... this one, only four birds out of many... into the sun... fantastic! (c) 2010

THE Bird of the Day... a montage... at great distance, resized, resized again, enlarged and enhanced to capture every bit of available detail... but the camera doesnt lie! (c) 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 7 November 2010
Counting period: 6:55-14:30
Weather: N F1 increasing F3 towards the end, 2degC, 50km haze, 7/8 reducing 1/8, QNH 1012 rising then falling quickly
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Chris King, Rodney Procter

Moving birds:
Cormorant 2 -
Common Gull 51 -
Rook 1 -
Pink-footed Goose 588 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 10 -
Raven 1 -
Mallard 31 -
Stock Dove - 11
Starling - 2894
Pintail 1 -
Woodpigeon 19492 + 245 N
Chaffinch 30 -
Goldeneye 1 -
Skylark 2 -
finch sp. 100 -
Goosander 2 -
Meadow Pipit 4 -
Greenfinch 22 -
Red Kite 2 -
alba wagtail sp. 5 -
Goldfinch 24 -
Sparrowhawk 9 -
Fieldfare - 3770
Lesser Redpoll 6 -
Common Buzzard 2 -
Redwing - 68
Lapland Bunting 1 -
Peregrine 2 -
Mistle Thrush 3 -
Reed Bunting 6 -
Common Snipe 1 -
Blue Tit 1 -
bunting sp. 5 -
Black-headed Gull 260 -
Jackdaw - 100
raptor sp - 1

Totals: 27754 individuals, 36 species, 7:35 hours

Comments: Scattered early night, becoming open then o/cast before dawn, then open again. Wind from N qtr throughoutwith QNH ridging 1013 at c0830 then falling away quickly 1007 by 1430hr. To us overlooking the Bradford skies from high in the west....in absolutely ideal viewing conditions for us we could see Woodpigeon flocks at all ranges and all heights for a very lengthy period this morning ... at peak we had never seen the skies so thick with pigs, all pounding south, big flocks, small flocks, tight balls, long ovals, even thick cigars... in saying south, there may have been a bit of west in the heading... also a big flow, very exceptionally high down the "chain " route above the highest Pennine tops.... much bigger flocks out this way but lesser in frequency than down the east Pennine flank flyway, so far as we could see from our sentry overview.... interestingly, unless our blind spot was near in and overhead due to heads in scopes, bins etc, (quite probably so!!) very few close flocks today with much time spent (four counters aLL severely stressed doing different tracks and ranges) with our heads in our scopes.... during the early part of our watch, woodies were the target species and thus got exclusive preference to all else which was just incidental.... as these days in conjunction with ideal conditions do not come often for us..... Previous record smashed by a long long way!! A total of 480 WP flocks with max 300.... Good Fieldfare move as well with v high NW flocks, quite obviously fresh in.... Several flocks so high that even thro scope above pere soaring at c1000ft up.... That put them at c2400 ft asl at least,, a good height I think! FF move more pronounced towards the end of the watch but active throughout. Starlings moderate and more pronounced towards the end continuing right through past departure time... but so far as we can see there should be much better to come yet with this sp. The masses today just made everything else merge into insignificance. A tremendous morning for us with a new total site count record by far!!!!! as well as our best ever woodpigeon count!! An assumed escaped Red tailed Hawk? went high over the moor with four corvids very hard on its tail... even redder after this! During the lunchtime slot.... a sandwich dropping event.... and what will almost certainly be the bird of the day if accepted was picked up going away NNW in the diatance at great, great height...and even, up there with and dwalfing a couple of carrions at it tail... it had no doubt traversed the east Pennine flank north at the same exceptional height during the morning and right over our heads soaring / thermaling through... it was lost from view, thermalling and still at exceptional height over Sun Hill and heading for Cringles col... the scopes could barely clinch it but the camera doesent lie!!

Dave and Howard