Pennine Skywatch: 17 Oct 2010

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Oxenhope... pinks n' pigs! 17-10-2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 17 October 2010
Counting period: 7:00-13:45
Weather: W F1 becoming SW F3, 0.5degC strong freezing frost, 120km Humber Estuary, 1/8, QNH 1026 rising then falling
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Chris King, Rodney Proctor

Moving birds:
Cormorant 4 -
Swallow 8 - Greenfinch 3 -
Pink-footed Goose 339 -
Meadow Pipit 72 -
Goldfinch 30 -
Teal 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 14 -
Siskin 3 -
Mallard 6 -
Fieldfare 140 -
Lesser Redpoll 2 -
Lapwing 2 -
Song Thrush 2 -
Lapland Bunting 1 -
Black-headed Gull 501 -
Redwing 107 -
Yellowhammer 1 -
Common Gull 42 -
Starling - 565
Reed Bunting 3 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 200 -
Chaffinch 21 -
bunting sp. 3 -
Skylark 15 -
Brambling 34 -

Totals: 2119 individuals, 26 species, 6:45 hours

Comments: Scattered to open sky overnight, calm then with v light wind from W...QNH rising then ridging 1027 at 0750. A terriffic morning to be out in the hills with wondeful pre sunrise skies with views out to the sun reflecting off the Humber estuary at sunrise. Thrushes dead today with no upper sky movement and only very little surface movement. Starlings coming on strong with NNW movement in small to moderate parties throughout tthe morning and still going as we left... by far the best count of the season to date. Bramblings very strong with best party 15 passing right overhead and so close that the camera wouldnt focus!! + yet more Bramblings just heard but not seen. The first day of mass woodie movement south concurrent with high pressure and dramatically reduced temperature but only for the initial period. Pinks both SE and NW were in evidence with a total of ten skeins... all way up and very hard work to locate. By 1000 it had got very slow but pinks, starlings and bits did keep coming. A YELLOWHAMMER, the bird of the day went through south just before lunch time, with a ticking tueing Lap Bunt just after... All in all a brilliant morning.

Dave and Howard

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... brambling boost! 17-10-2010

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Sunday 17 October 2010
Counting period: 8:05-11:05
Weather: o/8- 1/8 cloud. F1 WSW wind; 1-2C first thing rising to c11C Visibility fair to excellent.
Observers: A Hanby, J Blacker

Moving birds:
Cormorant - 2
Collared Dove 7 -
Magpie 6 -
Teal 1 -
Skylark 36 -
Starling 524 -
Sparrowhawk 2 -
Meadow Pipit 73 -
Tree Sparrow 4 -
Golden Plover 757 -
Grey Wagtail 1 -
Chaffinch 53 -
Lapwing 60 -
alba wagtail sp. 15 -
Brambling 39 -
Common Snipe 7 -
Blackbird 2 -
finch sp. 18 -
Black-headed Gull - 5
Fieldfare 394 -
Greenfinch 4 -
Common Gull 24 -
Redwing 842 -
Goldfinch 9 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Goldcrest 6 -
Linnet 13 -
Herring Gull 2 -
Coal Tit 2 -
Lesser Redpoll 1 -
Stock Dove 4 -
Blue Tit 7 -
Yellowhammer 1 -
Woodpigeon 114 -
Great Tit 3 -
Reed Bunting 2 -

Totals: 3041 individuals, 36 species, 3:00 hours

Present: Grey Heron 1, Kestrel 2, Golden Plover 600, Lapwing 150, Common Gull 80, Dunnock 7, Blackbird 8

Comments: A rather late start which will have reduced our numbers somewhat. Golden Plover appeared to be moving S all morning- trouble is there is always the worry that they will re-trace their steps in the afternoon. The direction was very constant without the to ing and fro ing seen on occasion. No big woodpigeon movement as seen in S Yorks was evident- but missing the first 45mins of birdable light may have played a part in that. 73 mipits is, for us, quite a high count for this late in October. All the thrush movement we picked up was at pretty low altitude with 395 Fieldfare and Redwing dominating with 842. Brambling were probably the star performers with 39 through including a flock of 17 and a flock of 12, the former giving great views as they few ow overhead late in the watch. Yet another Yellowhammer headed South, cementing this species as a 'signature species' for our watch point. Late edit- forgot the Starlings!

Andy Hanby and John Blacker

Caldene Fields, Low Moor.... classic! 17-10-2010

Gulls high up!... (c) Martyn Priestley 2010

Pinks NW.... (c) Martyn Priestley 2010

Yet more pinks up there!... (c) Martyn Priestley 2010

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 17 October 2010
Counting period: 7:15-12:15
Weather: Dry with 50% high cloud and a drop in temp to 1c. Around 09.00 a F1 W wind was noted and cloud cover reduced to 15% giving open sunny skies. Excellent visibility to 30+ miles
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving birds:
Pink-footed Goose 129 + 68
Skylark 13+ 12
Starling 1646 -
Mallard 4 -
Meadow Pipit 6+ 1
Chaffinch 61 -
Sparrowhawk 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 26+ 5
Brambling 1 -
Common Buzzard 1 -
Blackbird - 1
finch sp. 12 -
Kestrel 1 -
Fieldfare - 101
Greenfinch 94 -
Golden Plover 4+ 223
Song Thrush - 4
Goldfinch 89 -
Black-headed Gull 236 -
Redwing - 431
Siskin 1 -
Common Gull 4 +3
Mistle Thrush - 3
Lesser Redpoll 2 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 -
Jay 1 -
Bullfinch 2+ 5
Woodpigeon 657 -
Jackdaw 105 -
Collared Dove 2 -
Carrion Crow 20+ 3

Totals: 3979 individuals, 31 species, 5:00 hours

Comments: A bit of a ‘classic’ ! The first hour was very busy and I struggled as birds poured through, sadly ‘many finches were just not counted!. Then around 09.00 passage slowed down but was constant till around 11.30. Starling were the main movers with 53 parties noted on a fairly broad front. There was only one 100+ party with the overall average size been around 25+. Two Skeins of Pinks were noted as well as my first Brambling of the autumn. Skylarks showed well including a single party of 12 to the N. The drop in temp also saw Woods moving to the S and an impressive number of Jackdaws moved to the S/W giving me a new record of 105. A C Buzzard to the S finished of another good day here.

Martyn Priestley