Oxenhope.... fieldfare phalanx!! 15-10-2010

Fieldfare Skies.... (c) Howard Creber 2010

Level Ceiling.... (c) Howard Creber 2010

Fieldfares.... the first sizeable flock! (c) Howard Creber 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Friday 15 October 2010
Counting period: 7:00-14:30
Weather: W F1, 8degC, 70km, 8/8, one shower pm, QNH 1019 falling
Observers: Howard Creber, Gordon Holmes, Mark Baron

Moving birds:
Pink-footed Goose 3 -
Fieldfare - 428
Chaffinch 10 -
Lapwing 83 -
Redwing 17 - Greenfinch 7 -
Woodpigeon 12 -
Mistle Thrush 2 -
Goldfinch 13 -
Swallow 2 -
Long-tailed Tit 15 -
Siskin 3 -
Meadow Pipit 102 -
Blue Tit 2 -
alba wagtail sp. 5 -
Starling 19 -

Totals: 723 individuals, 16 species, 7:30 hours

Present: Raven 2

Comments: Broken, becoming overcast skies overnight with wind from a westerly qtr throughout. QNH falling throughout. After a very slow morning and advance notice from Dave (thankyou) that thrushes were hitting the East Coast, things picked up around 12.35 when Fieldfare flocks, quite obviously linked, started to arrive, tracking in from the West Bradford direction (as usual). Twelve well spaced pure Fieldare flocks varying from 9 to 110 flew directly West into the wind at average height - none especially high. The most interesting sighting was 15 Long Tailed Tits (definately the birds of the day) with 2 Blue Tits, traversing the moor over the watch point area and out to the West..... Redwing - 17 W.... Mistle Thrush - 2 W.... Fieldfare - 428 W.... Mipit - 102 S... Goldfinch - 13 E.... Chaffinch - 10 E... Greenfinch - 7 W... Alba Wag sp. - 5 S.... Swallow - 2 S.... Siskin - 3 S.... Long Tailed Tit - 15 W.... Blue Tit - 2 W (with LTT....).... Lapwing - 83 SW.... Woodpigs - 12 E.... PF Goose - 3 E.... Starling - 19 W....

Howard Creber

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PAUL CLOUGH 0710-0930

Very little moving in the Clough, just odd Fieldfare and some Long Tailed Tits, Long Tailed Tits 12, Fieldfare 46.

Nab Water Lane pm
Stonechat

Brian Vickers.
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Terriffic views of a ringtail harrier as it passed onward through the area!

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Hunter Hill, Calderdale... 15-10-2010

Cold Edge, Halifax (W Yorks, England)
Friday 15 October 2010
Counting period: 10:30-12:30
Weather: Wind NW F3 and blustery F4. Cloud cover throughout and some haze in the distance but otherwise reasonably good visibility. 9.5c
Observers: David Sutcliffe

Moving birds;
Pink-footed Goose 80 -
Fieldfare 44 -
Hen Harrier - 1
Redwing - 32
Black-headed Gull 1 -
Chaffinch 3 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2
finch sp. 5 -
Meadow Pipit 17 -
Goldfinch - 2

Totals: 187 individuals, 10 species, 2:00 hours

Present: Little Owl 2

Comments: Hunter Hill watchpoint. Difficult to find a spot out of the wind this late morning and hard to find any 'movers' initially. A skein of 80 Pink-footed Geese to the south of the watchpoint were heading S/E down the Calder Valley at 11:15. Then 8 Fieldfares came over from north going south at 11:30 followed by 36 from the east at 12:20, they also turned south. 2 groups of Redwing totalling 44 birds headed N/W over the golf course towards the wind-farm. The highlight came in the form of a ring-tailed Hen Harrier at 11:45 which I was lucky enough to pick out in the scope over Swales Moor (about 6km away) and heading my way! I was at first not sure what the bird was though it was obviously quite large. Surprisingly enough my first thought was a skua, partly I think because of the very dark shape against the sky and strong flight in the blustery wind. It was not until it dipped down into the valley that the white rump and typical harrier profile became evident as it passed below me in the valley heading towards the golf couse. I kept losing sight of the bird as it headed through some conifer plantation and lost it completely as it headed towards Ogden golf course. The team at Oxenhope were alerted but it was not relocated there and perhaps it headed off NW at 11:50 towards the Ovenden wind-farm rather than Ogden col?

David Sutcliffe

Caldene Fields, Low Moor.... 15-10-2010

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Friday 15 October 2010
Counting period: 7:00-10:00
Weather: Dry with 100% thin high cloud breaking to about 80% by 09.00 and a F2 N/W wind. Mild 8c. Excellent visibility to 30+ miles
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving birds;
Mallard - 4
Blackbird - 1
finch sp. 6 -
Sparrowhawk - 1
Fieldfare - 28
Greenfinch 37 -
Black-headed Gull 81 -
Redwing 31 + 10
Goldfinch 48 -
Common Gull 2 -
Mistle Thrush - 1
Siskin 1 -
Woodpigeon 14 -
Jackdaw 3 + 1
Lesser Redpoll 1 -
Meadow Pipit 2 + 3
Carrion Crow 19 -
alba wagtail sp. 14 = 2
Chaffinch 12 + 2

Totals: 324 individuals, 19 species, 3:00 hours

Comments: Few birds moving this morning which is a real shame given the excellent visibility. The only thing of note was a slight increase in Greenfinch but the majority were singles. A single Goldcrest at watchpoint

Martyn Priestley