Oxenhope... ideallic winter conditions! 03-01-2010

The difficult road before Sunrise! (c) 2010


Sun Pillar at Sunrise (c) 2010


First Sun on the Hill (c) 2010

Rising Sun skimming the Hilltops (c) 2009

0745 - 1120hr

Calm increasing N F1, -7degC, 65 reducing 30km, light snow later on, 1 ok, QNH 1024 rising

A terrific morning to be out with birds on the move as well. The first noteable morning of the freeze here... a sign of things tightening I think... it cant be long now before the deluge if it keeps going this way!! Ideallic cold and calm with gentle snow moving in from the NE and falling towards the end of the morning. Fieldfares jetting very high SW from first light in small flocks set the scene with maximum flock of 43. Most were out high over the snow fields of the west.... most interestingly a small flock were on the solid ice of the reservoir... possibly looking for something to drink!!... they soon were off SW. Three small groups and several single Skylarks went high west during the mid morning with the last going over as I was leaving. A few woodies, large gulls and mipits also on the move SW. The birds of the day were however a skien of 105 pinks at 1050hr exceptionally high travelling WNW across the leading edge of the approaching snow front. A Redshank over the ice west was unexpected as was a Collared Dove in the wood (previously rare here).... the only brid present today. Most interestingly no small gulls were seen at all today.... and the water 100% frozen and drifted over with snow was unsuitable to support the normal roost which last night had failed!

Moving birds:

Fieldfare 214 > SW

Woodpigeon 2 > SW

GBB Gull 10 > SW

Herring Gull 24 > SW

Meadow Pipit 2 > SW

Pink footed Goose 105 > WNW @ 1050

Redshank 1 > W

Skylark 21 > SW

Carrion Crow 6 > E

Other:

Collared Dove 1

Magpie 1

The Frozen Water (c) 2010

The Frozen Water.... drifted over with Snow (c) 2010

The Snow Front Approaching (c) 2010

The Church through the falling Snow (c) 2010

Gently falling Snow (c) 2010

Dave