Pennine Skywatch: 24 Apr 2010

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Oxenhope... pm action! 24-04-2010

Look to the Sky!.... a road casualty... (c) 2010

S F3, warm, 65km haze, 1/8, QNH 1016 falling

1600 - 1715hr

A second visit to grab the pm Lesser rate. Swallows still moving north. A Buzzard thermaling high NE and a road casualty Sparrowhawk was sad.

Moving Birds:

LBB Gull 121 > N

Swallow 6 > N

Buzzard 1 > NE

Goldfinch 1 > W

Dave

Oxenhope.... lots of taste but no flava! 24-04-2010

CALM / SSE F3, 9degC, 10km deep haze, 1/8 cirro sp + many persistant contrails, QNH 1017 rising.

0750 - 1140hr

Flat camera batteries from last time dictated a late start!.... bahh... in fact JB was ringing me from Stainburn before I was out to tell of the chats and flavas on the move over there.... so I probably missed much of the more interesting early stuff? However once on the moor a steady but diverse morning was in swing. Another obvious Wheatear fall was immediately apparent with birds moving off and flitting through NW... Willow Warblers were everywhere, even in the heather on the open moor, again an obvious fall. Mipits were hard work but were moving in the background throughout the visit so the chances are that by missing the early surge this count is a dramatic under record for the morning. A Rose ringed Parakeet, the star of the morning was out of place as it flew east over the in-bye calling. Swallows were still passing through and two well spaced high Swifts, the first of the spring here brightened up the late morning period. Several Sand and also House Martins passed over as well. LBB Gulls some in considerable party's were kowking high up as they thermalled through although some were in direct flight and others were so high they could not all be detected in the open haze shrouded skies. A single Common Gull was heard yic-ing several times moving SE high up but this could not be located. A single flock of Goldies went very high NW and more were heard on several occasions but could not be located.... Good to see the contrails back this morning and finding them exceptionally persistant today! Also several Green Hairstreaks were in their usual places. All in all a brilliant morning out!

Moving Birds:

Wheatear 14 > NW

Willow Warbler 25 fall

Meadow Pipit 57 > N

Rose ringed Parakeet 1 > E

Swallow 23 > N

Swift 2 > N

House Martin 3 > W

Sand Martin 6 > NE

LBB Gull 136 > NW

BH Gull 3 > SE

Common Gull 1 > SE

Jay 1 > NE

Carrion Crow 4 > N

Golden Plover 51 > NW

alba wagtail 1 > NW

Dave

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... full of flava! 24-04-2010

Whinchat and Wheatears moving through... (c) John Blacker 2010

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Saturday 24 April 2010
Counting period: 6:00-10:30
Weather: cools start ; wind 0 to F1 SSE 2/8 cloud. haze, visibility moderate to poor ( c5 miles max)
Observers: A Hanby, J Blacker

Moving Birds:
Cormorant 3+ 2
Swallow - 13
Jay 4 -
Grey Heron 1 -
House Martin 1 -
Carrion Crow - 1
Dunlin - 3
Meadow Pipit - 20
Starling - 2
Black-headed Gull - 3
flava wagtail sp. 3 -
Greenfinch - 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 6 -
Whinchat - 1
Goldfinch - 4
Skylark - 1
Wheatear - 5
Linnet - 5

Totals: 79 individuals, 18 species, 4:30 hours

Present: Sparrowhawk 1, Common Buzzard 1, Oystercatcher 2, Golden Plover 650, Lapwing 12, Curlew 8, Collared Dove 5, Skylark 10, Swallow 8, Meadow Pipit 4, Dunnock 1, Blackbird 4, Fieldfare 49, Jackdaw 6, Rook 90, Starling 1, Chaffinch 6, Linnet 8

Comments: Interesting though slow. Golden Plover seemed to build up throughout the morning with an estimated 650 at the end of the watch. Also notable were two batches of chats- two Wheatears and a Whinchat 0635 , which moved off W and then three Wheatears at 0910 which did likewise ( recorded as N on here). The Jay trickle continues with 4 S or SW during the morning (2, 1, 1). Three single flavas flew S, all singles and 2 very low. 49 Fieldfare remain in the area. A House Martin was also first for the year, though John has have several from Castley- a site not yet on trek.

Andy and John