Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Oxenhope.... palumbus power!! 07-11-2010







Our Window on the E Flank Flyway... perfect obs conditions... Six Images (c) 2010


Opening Skies..... (c) 2010


The East Outlook... late am!!... (c) 2010


The BIG Moor this lunchtime.... (c) 2010


Pinkie Skeins at HEAD CHOPPING HEIGHT...!!!... this one, only four birds out of many... into the sun... fantastic! (c) 2010


THE Bird of the Day... a montage... at great distance, resized, resized again, enlarged and enhanced to capture every bit of available detail... but the camera doesnt lie! (c) 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 7 November 2010
Counting period: 6:55-14:30
Weather: N F1 increasing F3 towards the end, 2degC, 50km haze, 7/8 reducing 1/8, QNH 1012 rising then falling quickly
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Chris King, Rodney Procter

Moving birds:
Cormorant 2 -
Common Gull 51 -
Rook 1 -
Pink-footed Goose 588 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 10 -
Raven 1 -
Mallard 31 -
Stock Dove - 11
Starling - 2894
Pintail 1 -
Woodpigeon 19492 + 245 N
Chaffinch 30 -
Goldeneye 1 -
Skylark 2 -
finch sp. 100 -
Goosander 2 -
Meadow Pipit 4 -
Greenfinch 22 -
Red Kite 2 -
alba wagtail sp. 5 -
Goldfinch 24 -
Sparrowhawk 9 -
Fieldfare - 3770
Lesser Redpoll 6 -
Common Buzzard 2 -
Redwing - 68
Lapland Bunting 1 -
Peregrine 2 -
Mistle Thrush 3 -
Reed Bunting 6 -
Common Snipe 1 -
Blue Tit 1 -
bunting sp. 5 -
Black-headed Gull 260 -
Jackdaw - 100
raptor sp - 1

Totals: 27754 individuals, 36 species, 7:35 hours

Comments: Scattered early night, becoming open then o/cast before dawn, then open again. Wind from N qtr throughoutwith QNH ridging 1013 at c0830 then falling away quickly 1007 by 1430hr. To us overlooking the Bradford skies from high in the west....in absolutely ideal viewing conditions for us we could see Woodpigeon flocks at all ranges and all heights for a very lengthy period this morning ... at peak we had never seen the skies so thick with pigs, all pounding south, big flocks, small flocks, tight balls, long ovals, even thick cigars... in saying south, there may have been a bit of west in the heading... also a big flow, very exceptionally high down the "chain " route above the highest Pennine tops.... much bigger flocks out this way but lesser in frequency than down the east Pennine flank flyway, so far as we could see from our sentry overview.... interestingly, unless our blind spot was near in and overhead due to heads in scopes, bins etc, (quite probably so!!) very few close flocks today with much time spent (four counters aLL severely stressed doing different tracks and ranges) with our heads in our scopes.... during the early part of our watch, woodies were the target species and thus got exclusive preference to all else which was just incidental.... as these days in conjunction with ideal conditions do not come often for us..... Previous record smashed by a long long way!! A total of 480 WP flocks with max 300.... Good Fieldfare move as well with v high NW flocks, quite obviously fresh in.... Several flocks so high that even thro scope above pere soaring at c1000ft up.... That put them at c2400 ft asl at least,, a good height I think! FF move more pronounced towards the end of the watch but active throughout. Starlings moderate and more pronounced towards the end continuing right through past departure time... but so far as we can see there should be much better to come yet with this sp. The masses today just made everything else merge into insignificance. A tremendous morning for us with a new total site count record by far!!!!! as well as our best ever woodpigeon count!! An assumed escaped Red tailed Hawk? went high over the moor with four corvids very hard on its tail... even redder after this! During the lunchtime slot.... a sandwich dropping event.... and what will almost certainly be the bird of the day if accepted was picked up going away NNW in the diatance at great, great height...and even, up there with and dwalfing a couple of carrions at it tail... it had no doubt traversed the east Pennine flank north at the same exceptional height during the morning and right over our heads soaring / thermaling through... it was lost from view, thermalling and still at exceptional height over Sun Hill and heading for Cringles col... the scopes could barely clinch it but the camera doesent lie!!

Dave and Howard

Caldene Fields, Low Moor... woodie record breaks!! 07-11-2010

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 7 November 2010
Counting period: 6:45-10:45
Weather: Slight drizzle at first then dry with a cold F2 /3 N/W wind and 60% cloud cover reducing to around 30% around 09.00 then open skies. Clearing visibility from 8 to 15 miles.
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving birds:
Pink-footed Goose 182 -
Skylark - 4
Carrion Crow 6 -
Mallard - 2
Meadow Pipit 3 + 2
Starling 541 -
Golden Plover - 141
alba wagtail sp. - 6
Chaffinch 12 -
Black-headed Gull 16 -
Waxwing - 15
Greenfinch 25 -
Common Gull - 2
Fieldfare - 659
Goldfinch 11 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 5 -
Redwing - 295
Lesser Redpoll 3 2
Woodpigeon 13016 + 218
Jackdaw 69 -
Snow Bunting - 1

Totals: 15236 individuals, 21 species, 4:00 hours

Comments: What a morning!! It started slow with nothing moving till 07.15 then 3 Wood Pigeons moved S then the ‘flood gates’ opened with WP pouring through like yesterday on a broad band from Low Moor through to Tong in the E. At one point a 1,000+ birds flew directly over my head!!. From 07.15 till 08.00 7, 411 birds passed through. Then from 08.00 till 09.00 passage slightly slowed with 5,131 moving, then from 09.00 – 10.45 682 passed through. At 10.00 there was an unexpected passage to the N involving 3 parties totally 208 birds. 77 parties over 10 were recorded with 6 over 500. Finches were in the main not counted but I did pick up on thrushes moving mainly Fieldfares. 2 parties of Waxwing moved W ( a Vismig ) first for me and a low flying Snow Bunting flew N/W mid watch.

Martyn

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate.... 07-11-2010

Stainburn Moor, Harrogate (N Yorks, England)
Sunday 7 November 2010
Counting period: 7:00-11:05
Weather: V cold- c3c at start. NNE wind F1 1 oktas at start. Vis- miles.
Observers: A Hanby, John Blacker

Moving birds:
Cygnus sp. 9 -
Herring Gull 23 -
Jackdaw 5 -
Pink-footed Goose 5 -
Great Black-backed Gull 1 -
Starling 1613 -
Canada Goose 3 -
Woodpigeon 6512 -
finch sp. 47 -
Goosander - 2
Collared Dove 1 -
Greenfinch 2 -
Sparrowhawk - 5
Skylark - 15
Goldfinch 3 -
Common Buzzard - 2
Meadow Pipit 7 -
Siskin 1 -
Common Snipe 1 -
Fieldfare - 408
Linnet 1 -
Curlew - 2
Redwing - 147
Lesser Black-backed Gull 9 -
Mistle Thrush - 1

Totals: 8825 individuals, 25 species, 4:05 hours

Present: Red Kite 7, Common Buzzard 2, Kestrel 1, Meadow Pipit 2, alba wagtail sp. 1, Blackbird 2, Blue Tit 1, Great Tit 2, Jackdaw 60, Rook 100, Carrion Crow 10, Starling 600, Chaffinch 1

Comments: The 9 cygnus sp were almost certainly whoopers and seemed to go down in the region of Eccup. There was a noticeable N passage of 5 Sparrowhawks today, prob best of the year for us. Two Curlew North was highly unexpected for November- can't remember seeing them this late before inland( except in the lowlands). At 6512 Wood pigeons were well down on yesterday but still a dam good count- they dribbled on a bit later than yesterday with the odd decent sized flock through after 10. Redwing (147) and Fieldfare (408) are up on yesterday- but the numbers suggest the best may yet be to come. 1613 Starling past W with some escalation towards the end of the watch.

Andy and John

Woodies > South.. the BIG push starts!!! 06-11-2010







Woodies!!.... The BIG South Push... Six Images (c) Lester Ward 2010
Reva Hill 06-11-2010.... First Light... 20 flocks in c30 mins totalling c 2000 birds! and thats just the ones close enough to snap!!!!
IF YOU CANT SEE THE BIRDS, Then Double Cilck the Images....

Woodies South... also first light over Caldene Fields 06-11-2010
(c) Martyn Priestley 2010
Lester and Martyn