Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... 13-03-2010

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Saturday 13 March 2010
Counting period: 6:30-11:35
Weather: 1c rising to 8 later 1/8 cloud, 5/8 later. Wind WSW veering wnw 2-3. Visibility good then moderate to poor then becoming good again
Observers: Andrew Hanby, John Blacker.

Moving Birds:
Cormorant - 1
Black-headed Gull - 1
Chaffinch - 30
Greylag Goose 2 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 3
Brambling - 1
Canada Goose - 1
Collared Dove - 1
Greenfinch - 5
Common Buzzard - 3
Skylark - 16
Goldfinch - 30
Peregrine 1 -
Meadow Pipit - 10
Siskin - 4
Golden Plover - 17
alba wagtail sp. - 2
Linnet - 4
Curlew - 16
Jackdaw - 7

Totals: 155 individuals, 20 species, 5:05 hours

Present: Red Kite 7, Sparrowhawk 1, Common Buzzard 1, Kestrel 2, Oystercatcher 2, Lapwing 35, Curlew 12, Common Gull 235, Stock Dove 4, Woodpigeon 35, Dunnock 2, Blackbird 2, Blue Tit 3, Great Tit 1, Jackdaw 3, Carrion Crow 25, Raven 1

Comments: A slow but mildly interesting day. Most Birds moving W or WNW. The Peregrine was a female moving WSW and clearly different to the last bird here. Three buzzards moved N. Again no geese for us.

Andy and John

Oxenhope.... fractus invades! 13-03-2010

Deep fractus invades and spoils the day... sun spots in evidence (c) 2010

Sun Spot 1054 is growing rapidly and poses a threat for C-Class Solar flares... see:

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2010/13mar10/midi512_blank.gif?PHPSESSID=12lvd3jb7g4b9ffracuqrj1d31

for a better image.


Royal Jordanian Airlines overhead! Airbus A-340-200 (c) 2010

W F2 rising W F5, -1degC, 65km reducing 100m, 2/8 increasing 9/8 stratus fractus, QNH 1027 steady.

0700 - 0930 / 1200 - 1500hr

Hopes of a good morning initially soon demolished by a total block of rolling fractus advancing over the moor out of Lancashire.... just c30 minutes of suitable conditions albeit very cold then the morning closed down at this altitude. However in the initial clear conditions it was obvious that since last weekend big influxes of Skylarks and Curlews had come in and that Oystercatchers had come back to the moors too. Stuck it out for a few hours but it obviously wasent going to clear soon. Sad but interesting that whilst the sun, reduced to monochrome, was always visible veiled by deep fractus and sporting two prominent sun spots that it never got through properly. Tried again in the afternoon but whilst the sky had cleared, little was moving in it up here.

Moving Birds:
Meadow Pipit 3 > N
Curlew 6 > W
Golden Plover 1 > N

Dave

Mid Airedale... some snaps 13-03-2010

Mid Airedale... looking N...(c) 2010


Mid Airedale... looking East... (c) 2010


Stratocumulus.... looking south (c) 2010

Looking towards Bingley and Keighley (c) 2010

Baildon Moor.... the "last" rays of sun...(c) 2010

Dave