Oxenhope.... 2012-09-16

Six Images all Copyright 2012

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 16 September 2012
Counting period: 6:15-14:45
Weather: wind SW3, cloud-cover 7/8, precipitation drizzle, visibility 5000m, temperature 12 ℃, becoming SW F4 gusting F6, 65000 2ok then 9000m, 15degC, QNH 1009 falling 1006
Observers: Dave Barker, Howard Creber, Lester Ward, Rodney Procter, (Mark Doveston briefly)

Moving Birds:
Cormorant 2 -
Lesser Black-backed Gull 861 -
Jackdaw 14 -
Merlin 1 -
Herring Gull 3 -
Raven 2 -
Golden Plover 8 -
Stock Dove 3 -
Starling 16+ 31
Lapwing - 34
Skylark - 1
Greenfinch 2 -
Snipe * - 10
Swallow 527 -
Goldfinch 36 -
Curlew - 6
House Martin 46 -
Siskin 2 -
Black-headed Gull 50 -
Meadow Pipit 676 -
Common Gull 8 -
alba wagtail sp. 3 -

Totals: 2342 individuals, 22 species, 8:30 hours

Present: Kestrel 4

Comments: Much better than expected with frontal rain late, then stopping over in Lancashire and breaking up! Watchpoint in and out of fast moving but capricious fractus initially. Warm and moist with mips in the air from the very start in ideal conditions for the first couple of hours of urgent movement, then subsiding only to come again mid am. Mips continuing to a lesser extent right through, strict south all the time. Swallows also taking advantage of the calmer early window and initially going south but later as the wing picked up late am the flow changed fast east in advance of the weather inching over the tops from Lancs. Lessers still much in evidence with again the two normal flows but more graellsii in comparison to last census. A single flock of Lapwing were interesting, picked up at great height and great distance to the SE, coming almost overhead and lost going NW over into Lancashire at equal distance. Goldfinches all going fast east whilst the few Greenfinch west. Raptors very thin in unsuitable conditions but a noteable increase in Kestrel numbers was interesting. In the end, the advancing front did win flooding continuous drizzle over the tops, but not till packing up after 1430hr.

Footnote:
Christines Virgin Atlantic flight to San Fransisco, a Boeing 747-4Q8, was watched lifting off from London Heathrow, somewhat late at 1056hr.... next located over Derby heading our way up the great north road in the sky, over the Peak district, Marsden (Hudds), Hebden Bridge and then by 1117hr, Watersheddles on the Lancs/Yorks border, just west of Oxenhope at 32000ft and a staggering 567mph.... sadly the sky had closed in with rain on the horizon, or we could even have waved had she known where to look, as our watchpoint, Bradford, Leeds and the eastern plane would have been in full and glorious view to all!.... remaining at 32000feet, soon picking up to 578, then 601mph the flight sped NNW, up the M6, over Penrith, Carlisle, Gretna, Lockerbie (by 1130hr), Cumbernauld, Killin, Great Glen Loch, ..... to leave the mainland over Little Loch Broom Point, just south of Ullerpool..... on over the sea twixt Priest and Bottle Islands, east of Stornoway and over the Butt of Lewis the most northerly point of the Outer Hebrides at 1157hr, just an hour from lift off and lost continuing out over the North Atlantic, Greenland bound and heading for the roof........

Same flight, two days later, sister plane.... overhead this time.... in dancing light.

One Image Copyright 2012

Dave