Pennine Skywatch: 25 Aug 2010

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

BIG VisMig 2010

The time is NOW.... first event this weekend... see:

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2265

for full details.

Dave

Oxenhope... after the storm! 25-08-2010

W F3, 11degC, 65km, 2/8, QNH 1013 rising

0645 - 1200hr

Open sky overnight and throughout the morning becoming scattered by mid day. QNH rising throughout. Wind from a westerly quarter dropping very light from midnight... no rain... yippee! Thought there would be much more movement in the sky but yesterdays rains must have well and truely sluffened the vis... hardly any Swallows or mipits passing at all in relative terms and taking account the length of stay. The first waders for some days, a flava SW, three Tree Pips also SW and another Buzzard were the best birds but it was very hard work.... Very interestingly and influx of Herring Gulls today..... gulls inland... a storm at sea?

Moving birds:

Meadow Pipit 31

Ringed Plover 6

Dunlin 1

flava wagtail 1

Linnet 19

Wheatear 1

Tree Pipit 3

Swallow 18

Starling 18

Herring Gull 7

LBB Gull 340

BH Gull 6

SW F2 becoming CALM then SE F1, 16degC, 65km, 1/8 becoming 5/8, QNH 1012 falling.

1430 - 1830

Moving birds:

LBB Gull 96

BH Gull 321

Common Gull 4

Herring Gull 4

Raven 1

Ringed Plover 3

Swallow none

Mipits none until 1830 when the first of the evening started to come.

Dave

Contrail Vis.... 25-08-2010

Clear open skies today... the first of the autumn to date were exhillerating in all respects with all our old friends still up there and on the move....

Dave

Oxenhope.... torrent! 24-08-2010

Sky clearing and wind dropping at last light... (c) 2010

1415 - 1535hr

Moving birds:
LBB Gull 165
BH Gull 4
Yellow legged Gull 1ad and 1 near ad total 2
Common Sandpiper 1

Brian Vickers

W F5 dropping W F2, 12degC, 65km, 8/8 becoming 1/8, QNH 1008 rising
1900 - 2130hr

Clear open sky for the early part of the night, then scattered from midnight till 0530. Rain then materialising and intensifying over the northern part of the South Pennines tremendously to give an almost continuous torrential downpour until after lunch... the further west into the Pennine hills you got, the worse and heavier it was! Skies clearing after lunch till 1900hr when further low cloud and rain... but soon clearing with the open sky of the approaching ridge advancing swiftly and dropping almost calm..... Wind always from a westerly quarter increasing to W F7 late pm. QNH rising gradually through out. Again virtually no birds with mipits the only movers and quite strong tonight west.

Moving birds,
Herring Gull 2ad, 4juv total 6
LBB Gull 21
BH Gull 1
Common Gull 1
Wheatear 1
Meadow Pipit 64

Dave

Oxenhope.... even wetter! 23-08-2010

Small Tortoiseshell.... (c) Howard Creber 2010

Hey up Dave,

Thought it time to gird my loins in readiness for the vis-mig onslaught, and managed a quick hour (09.30 - 10.30) between my domestic duties.

Very little vis in evidence apart from 5 Mipits through west and one Skylark high east.

Plenty of blogging hirundines and Mipits and 3 distinct flocks of juv Starlings blogging in the near to far distance towards Bradford (circa 140,50 & 60).

Conditions were very calm, warm and dull with Stratocumulus stratiformis dominating the sky. Managed a quick shot of a Tortoiseshell before rain commenced 10.30.

Howard

WSW F5/6, 12degC, 65km, intermittent rain, 8/8, QNH 996 falling
1840 - 2100hr

Rain after midnight with a massive area several hours deep moving up from the south west.... but the really heavy stuff just a bit further east and missing us. Two bands of rain during the day but seemingly the heavy stuff missing us yet again. QNH falling rapidly, wind from a westerly quarter and overcast throughout. Virtually nothing in the sky and nothing anywhere with mipits still west the only birds on the move. The Goosander roost the highest of the season to date.

Moving birds:
LBB Gull 6
BH Gull 1
Tufted Duck 1
Meadow Pipit 31

Other:
Goosander 29

Dave