woodies take off!!... 2011-10-15

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 15 October 2011
Counting period: 6:30-12:00
Weather: wind South2, cloud-cover 0/8, visibility 20m, temperature 3 ℃, CALM increasing S F3, 0ok, 3degC frost, 30km rapidly reducing 10 to the east, QNH 1026 falling 1024
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Lester Ward.

Cormorant 6 -
Swallow 2 -
Raven 1 -
Grey Heron 4 -
House Martin 2 -
Starling - 626
Pink-footed Goose 140 -
Meadow Pipit 88 -
Chaffinch 55 -
Common Buzzard 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 18 -
finch sp. 57 -
Golden Plover 23 -
Blackbird 4 -
Greenfinch 59 -
Black-headed Gull 78 -
Fieldfare 431 -
Goldfinch 71 -
Common Gull 1 -
Redwing 288 -
Siskin 9 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 31 -
Magpie 3 -
Lesser Redpoll 2 -
Stock Dove 17 -
Jackdaw 223 -
Reed Bunting 2 -
Woodpigeon 434 -
Rook 4 -
Red Admiral 25 -
Skylark 18 -
Carrion Crow 4 -

Totals: 2727 individuals, 32 species, 5:30 hours

Comments: Very little redwing movement on call noted in the hour before sunrise. Thrush movement reduced to minimal in all directions, with no evidence of further arrival at all.... this migration has ended... so until the next time xxx. However a teriffic morning to be out. Morning noteable for the first determined Woodpigeon movement, continuing starling movement and a further increase in Jackdaw passage. A single skein of pinks picked up by chance going S very high may well just have been part of todays passage. Very active Red Admiral passage S during the latter part of the morning which is still continuing as I type.

Dave

starlings take off!!... 2011-10-14

 Pre sunrise thrush watch.... (c) 2011

Massive mobile fog banks.... (c) 2011

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Friday 14 October 2011
Counting period: 6:30-15:00
Weather: wind South3, cloud-cover 7/8, precipitation drizzle, visibility 30000m, CALM increasing S F4, 9ok reducing, some drizzle, 300m to 30km, QNH 1030 falling
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Lester Ward.

Cormorant 1 -
Woodpigeon 12 -
Jackdaw 133 -
Greylag Goose 10 -
Skylark 16 -
Starling - 883
Pintail 1 -
Swallow 7 -
Chaffinch 90 -
Sparrowhawk 2 -
House Martin 1 -
Brambling 9 -
Golden Plover 17 -
Meadow Pipit 85 -
Greenfinch 27 -
Lapwing 61 -
alba wagtail sp. 28 -
Goldfinch 25 -
Snipe 9 -
Dunnock 1 -
Siskin 31 -
Black-headed Gull 22 -
Fieldfare 1230 -
Linnet 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 31 -
Redwing 3693 -
Lesser Redpoll 2 -
Herring Gull 5 -
Mistle Thrush 1 -

Totals: 6434 individuals, 29 species, 8:30 hours

Comments: On site as usual well before sunrise... and at fog top level in almost total calm, tremendous!..... near constant RW calls overhead with first visual evidence of movement between E and S but during the morning thrushes were going in all directions, all typical of second day after arrival up here. From mid morning more evidence of continuing arrival with high thrush waves from the SE but in negligable magnitude in relation to yesterday. By mid afternoon, thrush movement had almost stopped. Two more important things today though, the first big surge of continental Starlings combined with the first obvious Jackdaw passage. A single flock of Brambling passed west. Redwing movement by call in the evening after dark was almost absent relative to last night, all suggesting that this migration had just about ceased.

Dave