Oxenhope.... 2012-09-05

One image Copyright H Creber 2012

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Wednesday 5 September 2012
Counting period: 6:00-9:00
Weather: wind NW1, cloud-cover 0/8, visibility 100000m, temperature 7 ℃, becoming NW F2 0ok, 65000m, 11degC, QNH 1028 rising
Observers: Howard Creber

Moving Birds:
Cormorant * 10 - S
wallow * 87 -
Snipe * 2 -
Meadow Pipit 196 -
Black-headed Gull 15 -
alba wagtail sp. 8 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 28 -
Greenfinch 3 -
Stock Dove 6 -
Goldfinch 39 -
Collared Dove * 1 -
Siskin 11 -
Sand Martin 1 -
Linnet 11 -

Totals: 418 individuals, 14 species, 3:00 hours

Present: Blackbird 1, Mistle Thrush 8, Jay 1

Comments: Much more activity today with Mipits to the fore and going in the "normal" direction compared to yesterdays northerly track. Goldfinch, were also quite strong with 9 seperate groups spread out through the watch. 3 seperate and well spaced out groups of Cormorant were noteworthy.

Very interestingly, at sunrise I got a brief view of the so called "Green Flash" above the sun - ie a green rim on top of the solar disk. This is an optical phenomena which is quite rare. I moved to quickly capture it on my camara, but true to form, it was transient in the extreme (ie it vanished).

Howard

Oxenhope.... 2012-09-04

One Image Copyright H Creber 2012

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 4 September 2012
Counting period: 6:00-9:00
Weather: wind SW4, cloud-cover 5/8, precipitation drizzle, visibility 4000m, temperature 14 ℃, becoming, W F3, 6ok, 3000m, QNH 1020 troughing, then rising 1021. Horizontal drizzle
Observers: Howard Creber

Moving Birds:
Snipe * 19 -
Meadow Pipit * - 51
Black-headed Gull 35 -
alba wagtail sp. 3 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 53 -
Greenfinch 2 -
Collared Dove * 1 -
Goldfinch 5 -
Swallow * 32 -

Totals: 201 individuals, 9 species, 3:00 hours

Comments: Meagre pickings in not ideal conditions, with horizontal drizzle thoughout the watch.

Howard

Oxenhope.... 2012-09-03

Two Images Copyright H Creber 2012

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Monday 3 September 2012
Counting period: 6:00-9:00
Weather: wind West1, cloud-cover 1/8, visibility 35000m, temperature 11 ℃, becoming W F2 4ok fog stratus over moor to west, 13degC, 10000m, QNH 1026 ridging then 1025 falling
Observers: Howard Creber

Moving Birds:
Cormorant 4 -
Tree Pipit 1 -
Golden Plover 15 -
Meadow Pipit * 75 -
Snipe 1 -
Grey Wagtail 1 -
Black-headed Gull 4 -
Greenfinch 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 22 -
Goldfinch 13 -
Collared Dove 1 -
Siskin 2 -
Swallow 110 -

Totals: 250 individuals, 13 species, 3:00 hours

Comments: First hour was birdless, then came the first sign movement with 3 Mipits (s) through the usual col, heads down and going for it. Swallows (se) also very evident with largest party of 42 south east . Fog stratus hung ominously over the moor to the west and though not all pervading, was worrisome. The watch had to be curtailed at 09.00 hrs, by which time visibility had deteriorated to a milky morass with limited workability.

Howard

Oxenhope....2012-09-02

Eight images all Copyright 2012.

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 2 September 2012
Counting period: 6:00-16:00
Weather: wind SW3, precipitation drizzle, visibility 6000m, temperature 14 ℃, Misting drizzle initially soon improving with visibility in excess of 100000m. Wind becoming W F3/4 1ok, at 19degC. QNH troughing overnight 1020 rising 1022.
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Rodney Procter
 
Moving Birds:
Cormorant 5 -
Black-headed Gull 208 -
Meadow Pipit 3 -
Common Buzzard 2 -
Common Gull 11 -
alba wagtail sp. 10 -
Merlin 1 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 985 -
Wheatear 9 -
Golden Plover 6 -
Herring Gull 2 -
Goldfinch 15 -
Dunlin 3 -
Swift 5 -
Linnet 2 -
Snipe 47 -
Swallow 17 -

Totals: 1331 individuals, 17 species, 10:00 hours

Comments: A poor start with misting drizzle soon improving but virtually no passers. Uncountable mips still blogging but quite obvious over the last three days that the swallow flow has been cut and that many birds have moved off, as very few in the sky anywhere. Snipe hareing w through, exceptionally strong with eight parties including a magnificent 21, all following a similar track and all much highter today. LBBG's also streaming very high along the usual tracks but broad front in addition today. albas making an obvious start but later on with high birds seen. Raptors few in evidence except for a couple of c buzz ve high SE and an afternoon merlin the same way.

Dave