Oxenhope... fragmented morning! 11-09-2010

Overnight rain heads off to Harrogate!... (c) 2010


Rain comes in over the Moor.... (c) 2010


Vis-ing in theRain!.... (c) 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 11 September 2010
Counting period: 7:00-12:00
Weather: SW F3, 15degC, 40km down to 1000m in rain, 8/8 becoming 4/8, QNH 1008 rising
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber


Moving birds:
Sparrowhawk 1 -
Stonechat 1 -
Black-headed Gull 30 -
Mistle Thrush 10 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 299 -
Carrion Crow 6 -
Swallow 101 -
Starling 1 -
Meadow Pipit 524 -
Chaffinch 18 -
flava wagtail sp. 1 -
Goldfinch 6 -
alba wagtail sp. 1 -
Siskin 19 -
Whinchat 2 -

Totals: 1020 individuals, 15 species, 5:00 hours

Present: Lapwing 75, Black-headed Gull 10, Lesser Black-backed Gull 198

Comments: Heavy rain becoming established from the SW overnight with QNH troughing 1007 at 0520 then rising all day. Rain showers, heavy at times becoming more intermittent from 0700hr and apart from heavy showers gradually drying up from the SW. Wind from a westerly quarter all day and gradually picking up. Sky opening late morning to become bright and sunny. Bird wise the highlights were a flava wag SW at 0710, the first double figure party of Siskin W and an alba wag, zilliping through SW sounding very white! Two Whinchats and a Stonechat were nice! The very obvious influx of gulls continuing all day and nothing really dramatic with the mipits both west and south, which were spread thinly right through the morning but reducing up to lunch time. Morning conditions were really too fragmanted by long periods of heavy rain for too much to be going on up here!

..........................................................................
Counting period: 13:00-16:00
Weather: WSW F3/4, 18degC, 100km Humber Bridge, 3/8 to 8/8 showers, QNH 1008 rising
Observers: Dave Barker,

Moving birds:
Black-headed Gull 265 -
Herring Gull 3 -
Common Gull 5 -
Swallow 53 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 291 -
Meadow Pipit 34 -

Totals: 651 individuals, 6 species, 3:00 hours

Present: Lapwing 43, Black-headed Gull 140, Lesser Black-backed Gull 179

Comments: Gull influx from the north / passage continuing and really thats about all that was happening here.... no rings were in evidence... mipits had died right back and Swallows were few but with the direction of travel set west! One of the Herring Gulls appeared to be a hybrid.

Dave and Howard

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... mipit surge! 11-09-2010

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Saturday 11 September 2010
Counting period: 6:05-11:35
Weather: rain becoming heavy in the first hour then intermittent, sometimes prolonged showers thereafter. Visibity ranging from 30 miles plus to 1 mile in showers. Cloud 8/8 at first down to 3/8. Mild. Wind SW2 rising to 3/4 later.
Observers: A Hanby, J Blacker


Moving birds:
Greylag Goose 24 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
alba wagtail sp. 13 -
Canada Goose 12 -
Collared Dove 5 -
White Wagtail 1 -
Teal - 6
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 -
Chaffinch 19 -
Goosander 2 -
Skylark 51 -
finch sp. 12 -
Golden Plover 5 -
Sand Martin 2 -
Greenfinch 5 -
Lapwing 303 -
Swallow 684 -
Linnet 4 -
Common Snipe 2 -
House Martin 76 -
Reed Bunting 1 -
Black-headed Gull 183 -
Meadow Pipit 804 -
Common Gull 3 -
flava wagtail sp. 1 -

Totals: 2220 individuals, 25 species, 5:30 hours

Present: Sparrowhawk 1, Common Buzzard 1, Stock Dove 11, Woodpigeon 35, Meadow Pipit 35, Dunnock 1, Wheatear 1, Starling 500

Comments: The first hour was spent festering in the car then sprang out to an avalanche of mipits (804) with nearly 450 in the first hour, declining thereafter with mobs of Swallows also on the move (684) and a sizeable number of Lapwing. Also notable was a large Skylark movement ( 51) for the date. The albas included a pristine White in their number.

Andy and John

Caldene Fields, Low Moor.... 11-09-2010

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 11 September 2010
Counting period: 0:00-0:00
Weather: At first light there was heavy rain with 100% low cloud and poor visibility to 2 miles with a S/W F1 wind, mild with a temp of 12c. Around 07.20 conditions improved with dryer weather pushing in from the S/W and just intermittent drizzle and improved vi
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving birds:
Black-headed Gull 324 -
Mistle Thrush 2 -
Common Gull 1 -
Carrion Crow 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 14
Starling 8 -
Woodpigeon 46 -
Chaffinch 6 -
Swallow 231 -
finch sp. 4 -
Meadow Pipit 56 + 1
Greenfinch 12 -
alba wagtail sp. 9 -
Goldfinch 62 -

Totals: 777 individuals, 14 species, 0:00 hours

Comments: A good watch with Swallow showing well and all to the W. The first real signs of the start to the Mipit movement S was noted here today and as the last few days BH Gulls again were moving.

Martyn Priestley

Caldene Fields, Low Moor.... 10-09-2010

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Friday 10 September 2010
Counting period: 6:30-8:00
Weather: Heavy rain and 100% low cloud clearing around 07.00 from the S bringing 40% open skies and dryer weather to the S. Temp 11c with a S/S/W F1 with gust to F2 wind.
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving birds:
Greylag Goose 64 -
alba wagtail sp. 5 -
Mallard - 9
Mistle Thrush - 1
Black-headed Gull 423 -
Jackdaw 3 -
Common Gull 1 -
Carrion Crow 9 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 -
Chaffinch - 2
Woodpigeon 29 -
Greenfinch 2 -
Meadow Pipit - 5
Goldfinch 45 -

Totals: 599 individuals, 14 species, 1:30 hours

Comments: With improving weather it turned out to be a good watch. Given the recent E/S/E airflow a distant group of 30+ large thrushes coming in from the E and then dropped down over East Bierely, caused me a panic! probably Mistle !!!. A good count of BH Gulls was observed with over 218 resting on the nearby cricket pitch at first light and then moving S and a single party of Greylag Geese moving E was the highlight

Martyn Priestley