Oxenhope... variety perfomance! 12-10-2010

Cold and Grey!!... (c)Howard Creber 2010


The BIG Moor today!... (c) Howard Creber 2010


A Cold Sun... (c) Howard Creber 2010


The Downfall... (c) Howard Creber 2010


juncus.... (c) Howard Creber 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Counting period: 7:00-15:30
Weather: W F1, 6degC, 40km, 8/8 becoming 1/8 cold and grey early improving to warm sunny skies by afternoon with good thermals. QNH 1023 steady
Observers: Howard Creber, Gordon Holmes

Moving birds:
passerine sp. - 3
Swallow 6 -
Chaffinch 73 -
Whooper Swan 2 -
Meadow Pipit 230 -
Brambling 20 -
Pink-footed Goose 50 -
alba wagtail sp. 21 -
Greenfinch 15 -
Red Kite 1 -
Ring Ouzel 1 -
Goldfinch 55 -
Hen Harrier 1 -
Fieldfare 105 -
Siskin 7 -
Common Buzzard - 2
Redwing 161 -
Linnet 1 -
Golden Plover 13 -
Mistle Thrush 3 -
Lapland Bunting 3 -
Woodpigeon 9 -
Jackdaw - 6
Reed Bunting 1 -
Skylark 7 -
Starling - 15

Totals: 811 individuals, 26 species, 8:30 hours

Comments: Broken sky overnight becoming overcast or almost so through to c lunchtime, then opening and remaining so. Almost calm overnight becoming light and variable with long periods of almost calm during the morning. QNH steady throughout. A cold, grey, uninspiring morning gave little clue to what was to transpire throughout a full day watch - such are the vagaries of vis-mig !!!. A steady procession of winter thrushes set things in motion and three flocks of attendant Brambling low over the watchpoint were warmers.Three flocks of Fieldfare (20,41 & 30) moving high in the usual direction to the west gave a strong impression of being new arrivals. Another three Lapland Buntings (07.35, 08.10 & 08.55 binned) continued the superb passage of this species this year. Mipits were on the go throughout, but in significantly reduced numbers now. A very close, virtually overhead, Ring Ouzel brought whoops of joy from my Skipton compatriot.....12.15 hrs saw two Whooper Swans passing through the Causeway Foot col into Calderdale (probably these same two were located at Warland Reservoir mid pm in SW Calderdale high on the very backbone of the country [ND] and thanks for the coordination Dave) and a skein of circa 50 pinkies were picked up at range over Keighley Moor heading west. At 13.45 hrs a Red Kite was viewed over west Bradford.... at 14.00 hrs a superb male Hen Harrier was also picked up towards west Bradford and at 14.35 hrs two Common Buzzards came in very high over the watchpoint and disappeared extremely high to the NE. Both the RK and the HH thermalled up for several minutes before flying off very high XX. So the day ended literally on a terriffic "high" and sent two very happy (though starving ) bunnies home!!!... Mipits - 230 SE.... Redwing - 161 SE.... Fieldfare - 105 (14 SE & 91 W).... Ring Ouzel - 1 E.... Mistle Thrush - 3 E... Passerine sp - 3 NW... Brambling - 20 SE... Siskin - 7 E.... Alba Wag sp - 21 S.... Chaffinch - 73 W.... Reed Bunting - 1 S... Lapland Bunting - 3 E.... Goldfinch - 55 E.... Greenfinch - 15 E.... Linnet - 1 E.... Swallow - 6 E.... Skylark - 7 E.... Jackdaw - 6 high NW.... Wood pig - 9 E.... Starling - 15 NW.... Golden Plover - 13 E.... Snipe - 1 NE... Whooper Swan - 2 SW.... Pink Footed Goose - c50 W..... Red Kite - 1 XX... Hen Harrier male - 1 XX... Buzzard - 2 NE....

Howard and Gordon
............................

PAUL CLOUGH
0710-0900
Moving birds,
Raven 2, Sparrowhawk 1, Bullfinch 10, Song Thrush 3

Brian Vickers

Hunter Hill, Calderdale... 12-10-2010

Cold Edge, Halifax (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Counting period: 7:50-9:50
Weather: Wind NE F3 - 6c with low cloud but all the hill tops clear. Hazy with only reasonable visibility.
Observers: David Sutcliffe

Moving birds:
Grey Heron - 3
Woodpigeon 16 -
Mistle Thrush 5 -
Kestrel 1 -
Skylark 7 -
Jackdaw - 13
Golden Plover - 8
Meadow Pipit 16 + 36
Starling 2 + 2
Common Snipe 1 -
Grey Wagtail 1 -
Chaffinch 5 + 30
Black-headed Gull 11 -
alba wagtail sp. 6 -
Brambling 1 -
Common Gull 1 -
Fieldfare - 3
Goldfinch 2 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 -
Redwing - 2

Totals: 175 individuals, 20 species, 2:00 hours

Present: Greylag Goose 7, Goosander 8, Sparrowhawk 2, Kestrel 1, Red-legged Partridge 3, Stock Dove 3, Green Woodpecker 1, Jay 2, Magpie 6, Carrion Crow 8

Comments: The movers here this morning seemed to be flying over in different directions with no consistency as to direction of movement ! I got the impression that more movement of finch species was occuring very high up as lots of very faint calls heard.

David Sutcliffe

Caldene Fields, Low Moor.... 12-10-2010

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Counting period: 7:00-9:45
Weather: Dry with 100% high cloud and a N/N/E F1/2 wind. Temp 7c and good visibility to around 10+ miles. Conditions remained static throughout the watch.
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving birds:
Canada Goose 8 -
alba wagtail sp. 7 -
Carrion Crow 12 + 4
Mallard 11 -
Blackbird - 4
Starling 18 -
Common Snipe 1 -
Fieldfare - 3
Chaffinch 8 + 15
Black-headed Gull 454 -
Song Thrush - 5
Greenfinch 12 = 2
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 -
Redwing 278 + 158
Goldfinch 58 -
Woodpigeon 88 -
Mistle Thrush - 2
Siskin 2 -
Meadow Pipit 24 -
Jackdaw 11 -

Totals: 1187 individuals, 20 species, 2:45 hours

Comments: After an absence of 4 days I think I caught the ‘tail end’ of the recent E wave, as not many finches or Wags were moving today. There was plenty of Redwings about but many were judged by flight pattern to be birds that had probably coming in during the last few days. However, I did pick up a S/E movement around 08.00 which lasted through out the watch of birds coming in over Heckmondwike and then moving N/W which not only involved Redwings but other thrushes including Fieldfare and a few Chaffs.

Martyn Priestley