Oxenhope... Little Gulls!! 30-07-2010

Little Gull.... 1#2 leaving NW.... (c) Brian Vickers 2010


Little Gulls on the Shore... (c) Brian Vickers 2010

Dull with light westerly wind.

1015 - 1120hr

Canada Goose 52

Little Gull 2

BH Gull 220

LBB Gull 228

Common Gull 3

Had a magic moment this morning. At 1040hr I was contemplating leaving the watchpoint as nothing but gulls..... but I thought I would go through the ones on the shore again looking for Med Gull. As I started scoping in the south corner a Little Gull flew through the scope being chased by a BH Gull. I managed to keep it in the scope, the black underwing was very obvious, anyway it finally landed next to another one already on the shore. They both bathed and preened but never settled and were finally spooked by a Crow and flew off high north west. I hoped they would fly my way when at 1050hr they departed but my luck had run out.... got only a very distant shot. The light was crap as usual, although I had great views in the scope for almost 10 minutes..... attached are some poor photo's.

Canadas back in the frame again with 52 in. Also good numbers of gulls in the sky yet again.

Brian Vickers

Light rain, wind increasing westerly.

1415 - 1515hr

LBB Gull 310

BH Gull 470

Curlew 2

Ringed Plover 2

Brian Vickers

SSW F4 becoming SW F4, 15degC humid, 5000m, recent heavy rain, drizzle, 9/8 stratus fractus, QNH 1009 falling.

1900 - 2130hr

Open sky overnight with broken cloud invading from the west after c 0800hr until c1350 when moderate showers came in from the west on a mass of frontal rain which had given very heavy downpours over Ireland but now beginning to break up over the Pennines. Showers becoming heavier late afternoon to give a torrential downpour 1800 - 1900hr.... heavy drizzle with fractus down to c 1300ft. Wind over night W becoming SW during the day and QNH falling throughout. Bird wise almost nothing in the sky or on the deck.... a small movement of mipits west.

Moving birds:

LBB Gull 8

Curlew 1

Oystercatcher 1

Meadow Pipit 21

Other:

Goosander 6

Dave