Pennine Skywatch: 6 Nov 2010

Saturday, November 06, 2010

Oxenhope.... struggle! 06-11-2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 6 November 2010
Counting period: 7:00-11:15
Weather: WNW F3, 4degC, 20km E, 2/8, QNH 1016 rising
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Chris King, Lester Ward

Moving birds:
Cormorant - 2
Stock Dove 21 -
finch sp. 16 -
Sparrowhawk 1 -
Woodpigeon 566 -
Greenfinch 8 -
Peregrine 1 -
Meadow Pipit 3 -
Goldfinch 12 -
Golden Plover 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 2 -
Linnet 1 -
Lapwing - 59
Fieldfare 86 -
Lesser Redpoll 1 -
Black-headed Gull 5 -
Song Thrush - 1
Reed Bunting 3 -
Common Gull 15 -
Jackdaw - 14
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 -
Starling - 214

Totals: 1035 individuals, 22 species, 4:15 hours

Comments: Broken overnight becoming essentially open from dawn. Wind from NW qtr with QNH ridging 1018 at 1030. Little activity in our sphere of vision with far fewer pigeons and starlings than expected. Few thrushes but a noticeable and accelerating move of Common Gulls west through out the day.... A definate feel of the advancing "back end calms" here.... but still hoping for better tomorrow!
..........................
Counting period: 13:30-17:00
Weather: WNW F3, 7degC, 65km, 5/8, QNH 1016 falling
Observers: Dave Barker

Moving birds:
Common Gull 34 -
Skylark 1 -
Stock Dove 23 -
Fieldfare 119 -

Totals: 177 individuals, 4 species, 3:30 hours

Comments: Roosts checked but not counted

Dave and Howard

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate... 06-11-2010

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Saturday 6 November 2010
Counting period: 7:10-10:17
Weather: NW 1; 7/8 cloud. Cool and getting colder
Observers: A Hanby, John Blacker

Moving birds:
Cormorant - 4
Skylark 38 -
Carrion Crow 2 -
Greylag Goose 3 -
Meadow Pipit 23 -
Starling 443 -
Canada Goose - 1
Grey Wagtail 2 -
Tree Sparrow 9 -
Common Snipe - 3
Waxwing 17 -
Chaffinch 11 -
Black-headed Gull - 85
Fieldfare - 167
finch sp. 60 -
Common Gull - 152
Redwing 12 -
Greenfinch 1 -
Herring Gull 3 -
Coal Tit 1 -
Goldfinch 5 -
Woodpigeon 18437 -
Jackdaw 3 -
Lesser Redpoll 1 -

Totals: 19483 individuals, 24 species, 3:07 hours

Present: Sparrowhawk 1, buzzard sp. 1, Golden Plover 2000, Lapwing 450, Stock Dove 12, Dunnock 1, Ring Ouzel 4, Blue Tit 3, Magpie 1, Starling 1200

Comments: A day dominated to enormous numbers of Woodpigeons, a massive 18,437 with the inherent count error likely to be at the understimate end- especially as some rather large high flocks were nearly missed ( and therefore some ill have been). There were two main streams one to the West and another immediately to the East; in fact prob a third stream further out over the vale of York. The numbers completely got in the way of properly counting other Birds for at least an hour- hence the high nos of Finch sp (AH solo for a lot of the major part of the movement). The other Highlight was a flock of 17 Waxwings SW c 0939.

Andy and John

Caldene Fields, Low Moor.... 06-11-2010

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 6 November 2010
Counting period: 6:45-11:00
Weather: Dry with 30% thin patchy cloud then after dawn open skies with a drop in temp to 5c and a F2 W/N/W wind. Very good visibility 15+ miles.
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving birds:
Pink-footed Goose 731 -
Woodpigeon 5261 -
Carrion Crow 12 -
Anser sp. 2 -
Skylark 1 -
Starling 35 -
Canada Goose 3 -
Meadow Pipit 3 + 2
Chaffinch 29 -
Mallard - 3
alba wagtail sp. 3 + 3
Greenfinch 69 -
Sparrowhawk 1 -
Fieldfare - 262
Goldfinch 16 -
Black-headed Gull 71 -
Redwing - 26
Siskin 3 -
Common Gull 2 -
Magpie 1 -
Lesser Redpoll - 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 44 -
Jackdaw 86 -

Totals: 6670 individuals, 23 species, 4:15 hours

Comments: An excellent movement of Wood Pigeon which started about 07.00. From that time to 08.00 3,922 moved S on a broad front from Low Moor in the W to the Gomersal area. Passage decreased in strength from 08.00 to 09.00 to 1,121 and birds were noted to be flying higher. From 09.00 to 11.00 passage had almost come to an end with only 218 birds recorded. Also impressive today were Pinks with 4 large skeins coming from the W and 1 small group from the N/W. Jackdaws showed well and LBB Gulls were noticeable to the S/W. 2 ansers flew S/E early and could not be ID. A high flying Magpie came in from the N and was thought to be a moving bird.

Martyn Priestley