Pennine Skywatch: 5 Sept 2010

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Oxenhope.... mip crossover takes hold! 05-09-2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 5 September 2010
Counting period: 6:15-12:50
Weather: SSE F5, 13degC, 40 increasing 65km, 4/8 becoming 8/8, QNH 1021 ridging
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber

Moving birds:
Mallard 9 -
Common Gull 3 -
alba wagtail sp. 4 -
Goosander 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 181 -
Chiffchaff 1 -
Sparrowhawk 1 -
Herring Gull 3 -
Jay 1 -
Lapwing 2 -
Swift 2 -
Carrion Crow 7 -
Curlew 2 -
Sand Martin 1 -
Starling 1 -
Turnstone 1 -
Swallow 277 -
Linnet 1 -
Mediterranean Gull - 1
Meadow Pipit 311 -
Black-headed Gull 31 -
Grey Wagtail 2 -

Totals: 843 individuals, 22 species, 6:35 hours

Comments: Open sky overnight with a Chiffchaff in the wood. Right on the interface of the weather systems this morning with an active low moving in from the west complete with much higher wind speeds here in compaarison to those just 4km east. The second day of the mip crossover with all hard south now! Swallows as usual took a while to get going and it was obvious by comparison to BS at Fly that the topographic routing today low over the ground due to the wind was giving us the miss in the mid part of the morning... but things improved later on with more birds flying higher over the lunch time period. Swifts (2) went SW at 0700 and 0925 and a Jay west was the first of the season here. Albas possibly just starting to move as well. A flying "Murder" of crows went south. The bird of the day.... just as we were packing up was Turnstone which dropped out of the sky from the NW and came in over our heads "tuckering" away... alighting for a moment in front of us on the pitchings before flying up water to alight again. This induced a search as it flew off again... at the end of the morning a final check of the gulls found an ad Med Gull in amongst which departed NW along with most of the lessers.... the Turnstone was still present, flying around calling when I left but having overstayed by c 1hr, I had to leave.

Dave and Howard

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate.... 05-09-2010

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Sunday 5 September 2010
Counting period: 7:00-12:00
Weather: SE 3, cloud ranging from 4/8- 8/8. Rare spots of rain ( about 3 !)
Observers: A Hanby, J Blacker

Moving birds:
Hobby 1 -
House Martin 39 -
Great Tit 4 -
Peregrine 2 -
Tree Pipit 1 -
Magpie 3 -
Lapwing 48 -
Meadow Pipit 186 -
Tree Sparrow 20 -
Common Snipe 5 -
flava wagtail sp. 21 -
Chaffinch 5 -
Black-headed Gull 48 -
Grey Wagtail 1 -
finch sp. 5 -
Common Gull 78 -
alba wagtail sp. 3 -
Greenfinch 2 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 13 -
Dunnock 2 -
Goldfinch 20 -
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 -
Wheatear 2 -
Linnet 28 -
Swallow 230 -
Coal Tit 2 -

Totals: 770 individuals, 26 species, 5:00 hours

Present: Mallard 11, Red Kite 11, Sparrowhawk 3, Common Buzzard 2, Kestrel 3, Lapwing 110, Curlew 11, Stock Dove 8, Woodpigeon 45, Collared Dove 1, Skylark 8, Swallow 150, House Martin 15, Meadow Pipit 45, Starling 600

Comments: In most ways today was middle of the road at best except for one thing- 21 Flava wags SW including a single flock of 16. This is a remarkable total these days even at coastal sites and truly exciting. Also good to see was an increase on Tree Sparrows with 2( 7,5 and 8) ESE. The best raptor was a Hobby SW briefly hawking as it went through. Two Peregrines went SE within minutes of each others, both were Males and included one adults directly overhead. Skylarks were up on the deck today over the last few watched. At 186 we had our best mipit count of the autumn, way down on last years numbers. suggesting they are on the move- though none actually seen to do so. One of the three albas was very clean underneath with an odd call and was almost certainly a white.

Andy and John