Pennine Skywatch: 10 Nov 2010

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Oxenhope... sweet nothings but snow! 10-11-2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Wednesday 10 November 2010
Counting period: 7:00-14:15
Weather: NW F3, -1degC ice.. the first lying snow of the season on Dales hill tops, 100km + Humber Br and Lincolnshire, 7/8 opening 0/8, QNH 997 rising
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber

Moving birds:
Cormorant - 1
Blackbird 5 -
Sparrowhawk 2 -
Fieldfare 82 -
Peregrine 1 -
Redwing 5 -
Woodpigeon - 32
Starling - 117
Meadow Pipit 4 -
Greenfinch 2 -
alba wagtail sp. 1 -

Totals: 252 individuals, 11 species, 7:15 hours

Comments: Mainly open during first part of night but becoming overcast by dawn and only opening again from the west progressively mid / late morning. Wind from a NW qtr and QNH rising throughout. A few Blackbirds relocating from the moor prior to first light suggested and arrival. Braceingly cold initially with yesterdays snow still on the hills! An obvious clearout of local birds with virtually nothing in evidence on the moor after the inclement conditions of the last couple of days!... An almost blank morning with virtually nothing in the sky... visibility and conditions ideal for pigeon observation but none at all south and with only a handful east and north.... could the pressure be too low or have they all moved through now? Strangely Starlings totally absent also til early afternoon, than starting to pass NNW on the continental track just as we were packing up with a couple of big flocks through but no alternative, we had to leave. Little else of significance as nothing there to report, so the later part of the morning was open to holisic sky observation in the background....Even at mid day Venus was shining majestically in the deep blue... "so big" and tremendous, in fact almost minature moon like, c 1hr in front of the sun following its passage through inferior conjunction late last month... never seen it in this close phase before... so do seek it out!... well we had to do something to keep us occupiued as just nothing to count!!

Dave and Howard

Oxenhope... first snow falling! 09-11-2010

Things deteriorate.... (c) 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 9 November 2010
Counting period: 7:00-10:00
Weather: ENE F4/5, 4degC, 10 -65km, 8/8 frequent rain and sleet, QNH 979 rising
Observers: Dave Barker

Moving birds:
Merlin 1 -
Fieldfare 22 -
Meadow Pipit 2 -
Starling - 461
Ring Ouzel 1 -

Totals: 487 individuals, 5 species, 3:00 hours

Comments: Continuous rain ceasing c 0300hr then frequent showers of rain / sleet and then snow through until lunch time when some improvement in the afternoon. Wind from ENE qtr and QNH rising throughout. Starlings the only real movers with several lerger flocks but in small low sqadrons making good use of the cross winds and shooting through like rockets at waist height or below!... laughing calls overhead from behind originated from a Ring Ouzel as it shot again cross wind south and a Merlin also batted south... despite a bright window out to the east, no woodies were detected today
........................................
Counting period: 14:15-17:15
Weather: ENE F4 moderating F2, 5degc, 4/8 showers of rain, QNH 987 rising
Observers: Dave Barker

Moving birds:
Fieldfare 26 -
Starling - 10

Totals: 36 individuals, 2 species, 3:00 hours

Comments: An improvement on this morning but virtually no birds....

Dave

Oxenhope... sleeted up! 08-11-2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Monday 8 November 2010
Counting period: 7:50-10:30
Weather: SE F6 gusting F8, 3degC, 10km, 9/8 rain and sleet, QNH 973 falling quickly
Observers: Dave Barker

Moving birds:
Starling - 42

Totals: 42 individuals, 1 species, 2:40 hours

Comments: Open sky overnight then broken in small hours with rain starting c1530 and continuing all day. Wind from S beconing SE with QNH falling very rapidly to trough 968 at 1530. A terrible morning and only a token visit watching from the car in the pouring rain / smothering sleet but nevertheless at least three squadrons of Starlings went low up the in-bye and on NW with probably more unseen as well through windows frequently sleeted.... hoping for improvement tomorrow!

Dave

Harden, Penistone..... woodies excel! 06 and 07-11-2010

Harden, Penistone (S Yorks, England)
Sunday 7 November 2010
Counting period: 7:00-12:00
Weather: fog then mist, only lifting properly at 9 20am. wind N mod-fresh. vis, intermittent but 30m+ from 9 20
Observers: Jeff Lunn Mick Cunningham Dave Pennington Russ Boland (nb MC cont till 3pm but most birds seen 7-noon

Moving birds:
passerine sp. 47 -
Skylark 2+ 14
Starling 1156 -
Merlin 1 -
Meadow Pipit 13 -
Chaffinch 11 -
Lapwing - 14
alba wagtail sp. 2 -
Brambling 1 -
Common Snipe - 9
Blackbird - 3
Goldfinch 5 2
Common Gull - 5
Fieldfare 3 +165
Siskin 2 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2
Redwing 1+ 17
Linnet 1 -
Stock Dove - 6
Jackdaw - 3
Lesser Redpoll 17 -
Woodpigeon 21560 -
Raven 5 -

Totals: 23067 individuals, 23 species, 5:00 hours

Comments: Apols for length of post but easier to cut and paste from my log. WPs were expected to move as yesterday. And they did. Over 21k, beating the 20k over Hall Dike, Hudds in Feb 83!There were probably more as we were flagging at the end and let small parties go uncounted. The cacophony of 'whappety' WP wing noise was awesome. It didn't start well tho. At 7 am me and JL were smothered in fog. Oh dear. But thrushes, starlings and a merlin bashed past our knees and we could hear finches over. DH Pennington joined us. Fog continued. Between 8. 30 and 9 fog clearing and some WPs and other sp milling about. Then lift off from 9.20. WPs in flocks up to 6k. trying to go west but thwarted by huge cloud bank, they diverted SW and SE. Russ Boland arrived. Even with four counting it was hard to keep up. Too much happening to decamp to Chez Mick's for brunch - so Viv brought tea and bacon rolls to watch-point. Ace. Who knows what we missed above the lowering cloud. We could hear pinkfeet unseen. No real spice today, but two wader species, some bops and ravens before finishing at noon. I continued from home, adding Red Kite, more ravens, merlins, and the starlings just kept going. A Brambling sped south. Contrary to trek, much north-bound stuff went NW not NE. And WPs were SW and SE in 56 parties. Starlings NW all day. Green 'pecker notable here - only 3 times in 10yrs - always on good vis days. Mick PRESENT or drifting around: Red Grouse 20+, Kestrel 5, Sparrowhawk 5, Green Woodpecker 1, Carrion Crow 3, Bullfinch 7, Brambling 3 (in plantation), Jay 1, Blue Tit 2, Long-tailed Tit 3+ (not sure if these tits were moving north or not)

Mick Cunningham etal
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Harden, Penistone (S Yorks, England)
Saturday 6 November 2010
Counting period: 7:00-15:30
Weather: 7/8 okta at dawn soon cleared, mainly clear blue sky. v light WSW or SW wind f1 - clear vis
Observers: mick cunningham, nick mallinson from 8. 30 (?), dave pennington from c9am MC alone after 2pm

Moving birds:
Cormorant 2 + 1
Meadow Pipit - 3
finch sp. 18 37
Pink-footed Goose - 150
alba wagtail sp. 2 -
Greenfinch 12 + 5
Goosander - 1
Fieldfare 49 -
Goldfinch 9 + 2
Sparrowhawk 1 + 1
Song Thrush 1 -
Siskin 15 4
Common Buzzard 1 + 1
Mistle Thrush - 1
Twite 1 -
Common Gull - 6
Jackdaw 27 -
Lesser Redpoll 4 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 -
Carrion Crow 4 1
Crossbill 1 -
Stock Dove 1 -
Raven 7 -
Snow Bunting 1 -
Woodpigeon 11204 -
Starling 259 20
Reed Bunting 2 -
Skylark 18 -
Chaffinch 29 + 18

Totals: 11921 individuals, 29 species, 8:30 hours

Present: Cormorant 1, Sparrowhawk 4, Common Buzzard 4, Kestrel 6, Merlin 1, Peregrine 1, Black-headed Gull 30, Lesser Black-backed Gull 11, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Stonechat 1, Song Thrush 1, Jay 2, Magpie 2, Carrion Crow 3, Raven 1, Brambling 4, Reed Bunting 2

Comments: Redwings south in dark at 6am. Massive move of Woodpigeons west/SW in first hour - with one stock dove in a flock. Biggest flock of woods 1000+ strong. MC solo first 1.5 hours so almost overwhelmed, partly owing to varied direction. I undercounted woods as ignored SE birds and ditto N bound stars. Lots of stuff S/W or west but many finches NW at first. Lots of passerines went down as sp as no time to count or ID. Frustratingly, poss waxwings slipped past before nailed and wierd call of something else overhead escaped too - nearest from memory was woodlark, but it got away. Twite and crossbill were good spice. Some pinks east welcomed NM's arrival. Starlings (W) and slarks (S) from mid-morning. I phoned Dave Barker to swap notes at c9 am. He'd not had the pigs. Literally as finishing the call 'bye', I saw Dave P arrive and heard a 'tew' call same time. "Lap bunt?" I asked. NM thought rattle a bit too musical. Noticed dumbstruck Dave P pointing. He was pointing at rapidly departing snow bunt - I didn't see it. Goosander east was good. 11 am onwards Bops up - inc displaying sprawk - and Ravens WSW. Moved position to home for a la carte brunch where new-in stonechat, more bops, inc perry and, in pm, superb merlin. A good day. Mick Cunningham edit -s ome ticked as bold not showing up eg woods, ravens, twite snow bunt.

Mick Cunningham etal