Oxenhope... arctic event!!! 01-08-2010

Arctic Flythrough..... twelve images (c) 2010

W F1 rising W F5, 13degC, 65km, 7/8 some drizzle, QNH 1012 rising overnight

0705 -1230hr

Many congregating and leap frogging parties of mips on the way in all gradually working west. Once at the watchpoint congregations were still gently creeping west but as the morning progressed they soon stopped and there was not a mipit to be seen. At o715 Crossbills were heard on approach and three went past southwest quite low. A Ringed Plover came in from the NE at 0915 but went straight through. Gulls (lessers and blackheads) were steady this morning and perhaps coming to the end of this migration... although there should be several more days of good numbers yet..... before the crash! The best was saved till the end... at 1215hr I was just having a last check through the gulls on the deck when the shrill unmistakable rawk of a "tern" rang out! I dropped everything and there it was coming in over the wall loosing height all of the time from the east... it called again and again in obvious excitement due to the mass assembleage but ploughed on low over the water, pausing to dip / catch something and then on through the gulls and straight through away across the water. It deviated very little and left in a long sweep up gaining height very quickly and away WNW... obviously never coming back.... the best minutes birding I have had for some while!!... only glad I didnt leave on time!!!

Moving birds:

Mipit 36

Swallow 21

Crossbill 3
Canada Goose 77

Wheatear 1

Curlew 2

LBB Gull 307

BH Gull 452

Common Gull 3

Ringed Plover 1

Herring Gull 1ad + 3 juv

Arctic Tern 1

W F3, 17degC, 65km, 8/8 becoming 3/8 QNH 1013 rising

1400 - 2100hr

Upon arrival (BV) a Peregrine imm dropped on to the shore giving rise mass evacuation of all on the deck... the Peregrine soon went on west and normallity returned. Very noteable that the gulls were now only trickeling through but the obvious feature of the afternoon was an influx of juvenile Herring Gulls... no adults but just the juvs. A party of Golden Plover went NE and between 1900 and 2000hr there was an allmighty surge of mips westward ho!! to roost or not to roost?? parties of nearly 20 went through some west and some south west and away... much higher than on the other nights last week when they were going through. An unseen Greenshank went high west calling at c 2030 hours and just four Curlew came in to roost. As I was leaving BV was just arriving and I left him to do the "night shift".... perhaps he will still be there in the morning!!

Moving birds:

Peregrine 1

Oystercatcher 2

Curlew 2

BH Gull 111

LBB Gull 206

Herring Gull 8 juvs

Golden Plover 36

Mips 158

Greenshank 1

Other:

Curlew 4

Dave and Brian

PS many more snaps to post from today but thought I should murder the tern!!

Dave