avalanche!!!!.... 2011-09-26

 Sunrise.... (c) 2011

 The road from the North.... at sunrise!... (c) 2011

 Nine Images for the Cloud Freaks!!... THE BIG MONTANNA SKY! (c) 2011

Buzzard migration overhead!.... (c) 2011

SW F2 becoming W F4, 4 becoming 2ok, 10degC rising, 40km becoming 60, overnight rain ceased just before dawn, QNH 1015 rising quickly 1021

0620-1345hr DCB, HC, LW

Yesterdays anticipation from pointers available fulfilled in total with an overwhelming deluge of mips all moving south, at times the big and improving "montanna" sky was full, east to west with migrating mipits... most at skip level with many above. The first were a couple at 0640 but the rush from the Dales didnt get going properly til some while after but when it did, at peak the three of us were really struggling to keep up. The mip total today (7498) smashed our previous record (6040, 2011-09-25) by almost 1500 birds, so well happy here!!! Characteristically albas were exceptionally strong today as well. By 0930 the pace had slackened considerable but birds were still coming at a more normal rate.... thus we feel there may well be yet another big day to come here. Other species were more normal in numbers but there was good late September diversity. Additional info from the Barden watchpoint told of a late Swift and a flock of c120 Golden Plovers > E. The thrush sp ( two small very high flocks) looked more like Redwings and may well have been!

Mip 7498
alba 106
BHG 43
Chaffinch 5
Linnet 47
Swallow 434
Dunnock 1
Merlin 2
Jay 2
sparrowhawk 4
siskin 20 + 8 unseen flocks
Greenfinch 20
Carrion Crow 1
Stock dove 3
Woodpigeon 1
skylark 28
Starling 13
LBBG 90
Mistle Thrush 17
Cormorant 4
Snipe 4
Lapwing 28
thrush sp 35
Golfinch 1
Great spotted Woodpecker 2
finch sp 9
Magpie 7
kestrel 1
Reed Bunting 2
bird sp 1
Raven 5
Red Admiral 5
Buzzard 2 (incl 1 as I was packing up Howard)
Goosander 1
Pink footed Goose 11

Dave, Howard and Lester

anticipation!!!!.... 2011-09-25

 Sunrise through misting rain.... (c) 2011

 An improving morning.... (c) 2011

 York Minster from the watchpoint!... (c) 2011

Snipe.... an all day move!... (c) 2011

S F2 rising S F5 a cracking dawn but periods of drizzle setting in even before sunrise. Longitudinal front moving through NE and wer were right on its line!
0625 - 1110hr DCB, HC, GH, LW

A wonderful dawn but periods of drizzle setting in even before sunrise together with the wind picking up. Large groups of mips arriving in the top fields and congregating but refusing to pass through. They kept getting up, testing the wind and then returning and going back down again. This happend many times. Another very large congregation a bit further away was doing exactly the same.... quite possibly waiting for the "straight in the face! wind" to become more cross! Snipe were most interesting with several parties and singles tracking hard west during the mid to later part of the morning. Grey Herons and Lapwings were also the movers of the morning with chaffinches being the best to date. Otherwise the diversity was there but only in small numbers. Anticipation... as mips appear desperate here!

Mip 447
alba 6
LBBG 39
Sparrowhawk 2
Goldfinch 5
Goosander 4
Starling 3
BHG 1
Chaffinch 30
Wheatear 4
Siskin 5 + an unseen flock
Greenfinch 3
House Martin 62
Grey Heron 4
cormorant 2
stock dove 3
Lapwing 82
Reed bunting 1
Snipe 16

SSW F 5 beconing SSW F3 dropping 2.
1415 - 1900hr. DCB

Front moved through East with cloud clear interface overhead upon arrival and with brilliant sunshine. A pretty bland afternoon except for an obvious all day thin passage of Snipe still going west. Come 1730hr the mips began to move again with some quite big parties both high and low, all moving southish. Swallows also picked up late afternoon with sevearl sizeable parties just before and in conjunction with the mipits.

Swallow 327
House Martin 16
Mip 538
LBBG 29
Common Gull 1
BHG 46
Lapwing 59
Snipe 18

Dave, Howard, Gordon and Lester

another fall off!..... 2011-09-24

Good sunrise but another fall off!.... (c) 2011

S becoming SW F4/5.... milky skies and visibility restricted... rain visible to the west throughout but never reaching us at all. Open skies to east initially but soon overdrawing 8ok.

0700-1215hr DCB, CJK, LW.

A later start after changing watchpoints. After yesterdays promise, another fall off in mip numbers.... Plenty of diversity but no bulk, with everything decaying mid morning.

In order of appearance

Meadow Pipit 507
Swallow 172
alba 17
Chaffinch 20
Crossbill 11
Chiffchaff 1 in wood all morning
Goldcrest at least 1 in wood all morning
Reed Bunting 4
Starling 2
LBBG 57
Redpoll 6
Goosander 2
Barwit 1
Stock Dove 2
Herring Gull 2
Greenfinch 3
Cormorant 3
House Martin 4
BH Gull 34
Skylark 2
Siskin 6 + 1 unseen flock
Goldfinch 6
Grey Wagtail 2
Wheatear 1

Dave Chris and Lester

improving!.... 2011-09-23

invisible rise!.... (c) 2011

23rd Sept 0615-1030hr DCB, HC, LW.

mip 1402 increasing
siskin 4 + 2 unseen flocks
Linnet 24
Greenfinch 38
Woodpigeon 2
alba 18
goldfinch 34
Stock Dove 4
swallow 26
BH Gull 5
Starling 3
hobby 1
LBBG 7
Golden Plover 7
Redpoll 6
chaffinch 2
Wheatear 1
Skylark 2
Jay 2
Snipe 1
Cormorant 1
bunt sp 1 (the first of the season)

.............................

Most interestingly a report from Barden, in Wharfedale (one Dale north of us here) early pm re this afternoon of mipit and swallow movement picking up and becoming very obvious this afternoon.... see what the morrow brings!!

Dave, Howard and Lester

Can it be worse?.... 2011-09-22

An evil rising!!.... (c) 2011
22nd Sept 0630-1210hr Just me

alba 13
mip 1315
Reed Bunt 2
Chaff 3
LBBG 2
Swallow 18
Siskin 4 unseen flocks
BHG 1

Dave

Raptorroundup.... more!

More rptor passage from the 15th.... (c) 2011
Dave