Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Oxenhope.... fast fractus! 29-09-2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Counting period: 7:00-10:30
Weather: SE F3 rising F5, 12degC, 50-2000m fog and rain at times, 9/8, QNH 1013 falling
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber

Moving birds:
passerine sp. 5 -
alba wagtail sp. 25 -
Knot 1 -
Song Thrush 4 -
Black-headed Gull 11 -
Mistle Thrush 6 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 28 -
Goldfinch 64 -
Herring Gull 1 -
Reed Bunting 3 -
Meadow Pipit 249 -

Totals: 397 individuals, 11 species, 3:30 hours

Present: Lapwing 67, Starling 1

Comments: Open sky before midnight, then variable mist and fog continuing til late morning. SE wind with falling QNH til c1400 then troughing 1011 and wind becoming west. Rain from 30min after dawn with a dry spell mid morning before more rain which ended the visit. Wind driven fog stratus and rain then fast moving fractus gave little chance to see any vis there was until c mid morning when a good dry spell developed. Started off at the winter watchpoint and moved up to the main one later on. A Knot was flying around over the water calling, then up into the fogs wanting to be off still calling, but each time it came back until the fog began to lift then it was off again into the mist leaving in an unseen direction. A single Starling was sitting it out on a post near the watchpoint. As soon as the cloudbase lifted a bit giving intermittent visibility, mipits began to come up from below, the biggest flock was c 50 with several 20+ and the movement seemed more urgent than over the last few days, just a pity the very limited visibility didnt permit appreciation of the broader picture! Maybe tomorrow might be the day up here? Albas not as intense as yesterday but again an active move. A fine single flock of more than 60 Goldfinch went south below the fog and Song Thrush calls from somewhere up there.... again the only indication of any ongoing continental passerine movement. Bushes and plantation were checked in the rain for nocturnal migrants but not even a Robin today!

Dave and Howard