Oxenhope... and elsewhere! 16-07-2010

the elsewhere bit first! LEO... undisclosed site... Brian Vickers (c) 2010

W F3, 16degC, 65km, 4/8, QNH 1008 rising after troughing out 996hPa at 0320hr
1800 - 2135hr

Rain overnight but not tremendous. From 0800 the centre of the depression was passing NE just to the north of us here with swirling fronts and heavy rain just over the watershed in Lancashire but on our eastern side of the Pennines the rain was breaking up and dry to the east beyond the eastern foothills. From midday a good improving dry bright afternoon in the lee of the front. An obvious moderate movement of gulls during the day probably with the improving conditions as upon arrival again well more than a thousand gulls were spread along the shore! Many of these dreaded, gaining great height, especially the lessers and offed shortly after a preliminary grilling but all that was seen tonight was a duoculture of lessers and blackheads! Interesting after last nights wader flurry that the only passage waders present and moving off were a Little ringed Plover... large juv, a bird of the year and three Curlew west. Just before sunset, I stopped at Sentry for half an hour and noted several large skeins of lessers very high in the sky, illuminated by the setting sun (already set with me at ground level!) and travelling east to west. A small flock of Lapwings was also very high.

Moving birds:
LBB Gull 560
BHGull 610
Little ringed Plover 1
Swift 10
Curlew 3
Lapwing c32

Dave