Oxenhope.... 2012-10-20

Snaps to follow:

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 20 October 2012
Counting period: 7:10 - 15:40
Weather: wind SW2, cloud-cover 2/8, visibility 65000m, temperature 8 ℃, becoming SW F3 then F2/CALM, inversion fogs over eastern plane far below us, mist and fractus initially, 14degC, 10000 then 80000m, QNH 1011 rising 1015
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Chris King, Rodney Procter

Moving Birds:
Pink-footed Goose * 1460 +  319
Collared Dove 5 -
Chaffinch 15 -
Goosander 1 -
Skylark - 5
Greenfinch 10 -
Sparrowhawk 1 -
Meadow Pipit 150 -
Goldfinch 41 -
Common Buzzard 1 -
Ring Ouzel - 1
Siskin 4 -
Golden Plover 1 -
Blackbird 4 -
Linnet 3 -
Curlew - 1
Song Thrush - 6
Lesser Redpoll 2 -
Black-headed Gull 290 -
Redwing 9 -
Crossbill - 7
Common Gull 3 -
Mistle Thrush - 5
bunting sp. 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 361 -
Jay - 1
Red Admiral - 2
Herring Gull 1 -
Jackdaw - 68
Silver Y - 2
Stock Dove 3 -
Raven 2 -
Woodpigeon 396 -
Starling - 122

Totals: 3303 individuals, 34 species, 8:30 hours

Present: Little Owl 1

Comments: Mist, fog stratus and fractus troublsome initially but only to SW and W, leaving a clear sunrise out over the North Sea above the extensive fogs below. A tremendous morning for us starting with small numbers of migrant thrushes dropping out +/- sunrise, again, quite good mips for the time of year but the main event for the day was again the trans-Pennine passage of pinks!.... again open both ways and with many big dramatic skeins and the best by far this year to date, including some low out of the Lancashire clag, heard coming for ages before seen, continuing right overhead making a teriffic din.... A buzzard east was the first for ages and high gull passage strong again.

Dave