Oxenhope.... 2012-11-08

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Thursday 8 November 2012
Counting period: 7:30 - 12:00
Weather: wind West4, cloud-cover 4/8, visibility 100000m, temperature 7 ℃, becoming 65000m, and later W F5 gusting F7 before moderating, 2ok, QNH 1014 rising 1015
Observers: Dave Barker

Moving Birds;
Woodpigeon 334 -
Starling 545 -
Meadow Pipit 6 -
Lesser Redpoll 6 -
Waxwing * 6 -
Crossbill - 1
Redwing 1 -

Totals: 899 individuals, 7 species, 4:30 hours
Comments: Next to nothing first thing despite the excellent visibility. Everything seemed to improve mid am as did the weather, but still very thin. Waxwings, a single flock at 1035 on exactly the same approach track as yesterday, but this time continued on through.

Dave 

Oxenhope.... 2012-11-07

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Wednesday 7 November 2012
Counting period: 7:40 - 15:30
Weather: wind West4, cloud-cover 8/8, precipitation drizzle, visibility 30000m, temperature 6 ℃, F4 gusting F6 becoming SW F6 gusting F8, 7degC, sky remaining closed, QNH 1020 ridging 1021 then falling 1019
Observers: Dave Barker

Moving Birds:
Cormorant - 2
Waxwing 26 -
Golden Plover 8 -
Fieldfare 30 -
Dunlin 1 -
Starling - 184
Meadow Pipit 2 -
Lesser Redpoll 2 -

Totals: 255 individuals, 8 species, 7:50 hours

Comments: High watchpoint untenable. Conditions not conducive to anything so chair behind the shelter of the wall at the old watchpoint and as not cold or wet, remained up there throughout. Virtually nothing til just after 1330 when a considerable fast moving tight flock located coming up the clough below from the east c26. Multiple trilling as closer and waxwings confirmed. Upon reaching the top and water beyond they circled, swarming briefly, trilling all the time and appearing uncertain before taking a 90 deg turn and off exceedingly fast towards the col over into Calderdale. Will not be counting gulls any more this season unless exceptional as now deemed unsafe to do so.

Dave 

Oxenhope.... 2012-11-06

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 6 November 2012
Counting period: 7:30 - 15:10
Weather: Observers: Dave Barker

Moving Birds;
Fieldfare 34 -
Turdus sp. - 543
Redwing 1 -

Totals: 578 individuals, 3 species, 7:40 hours

Comments: Little during the first couple of hours in better weather. More and complete report later but thrushes NNW first noted mid morning only after it had started raining. Several flocks initially in short succession all very low crawling tightly over the moor. Those seen going over top dropping into the cloughs below with some into the wood. Then a long gap with worsening weather but with a few more mid pm. Mainly Fieldfare. Otherwise next to nothing and again, only the high watchpoint working.

Dave 

Oxenhope.... 2012-11-05

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Monday 5 November 2012
Counting period: 7:40 - 12:30
Weather: wind NW2, cloud-cover 0/8, visibility 65000m, temperature 0 ℃, FROST, becoming SW F1 then NW F2, 1ok, 6degC, QNH 1006 rising 1008
Observers: Dave Barker

Moving Birds:
Cormorant 1 -
Fieldfare 27+ 361
Whooper Swan * - 5
Starling - 17
Pink-footed Goose * - 54
Chaffinch 4 -
Woodpigeon 1849 -
Siskin 3 -
Meadow Pipit 5 -
Lesser Redpoll 4 -

Totals: 2330 individuals, 10 species, 4:50 hours

Comments: The most significant feature in the otherwise open sky this morning was from first light, a string of exceedingly distant but massive cunim tops, with the furthest in a direction just east of north. A check on the radar initially confirmed them to be extending south from a point some 80 miles east of the Tay/Forth estuaries (Scotland) over the North Sea. These gradually throuhout the morning tracked south. Wish the vis had been so sucessful as initial ground haze just about blocked vision to the pigeons for me, with after a little flurry, little else visible in the sky for some considerable time. Mid morning a few very high Fieldfare flocks NW began to appear, may have been more, but the open sky was so difficult to view. A single pink skein went NW as did a small Whooper skien just before lunch. Gulls not counted.

Dave 

Oxenhope... 2012-11-04

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Sunday 4 November 2012
Counting period: 7:05 - 12:00
Weather: wind NE0, cloud-cover 2/8, visibility 65000m, temperature -1 ℃, HARD FROST, becoming SW F1 then E F1, becoming 100000m to lakeland hills, remaining c -1degC, QNH 994 / 995 steady
Observers: Dave Barker, (Howard Creber, Chris King til 0900hr)

Moving Birds:
Whooper Swan * 14 -
Redwing 26 -
Pink-footed Goose * - 605
Mistle Thrush 2 -
Stock Dove 2 -
Rook 1 -
Woodpigeon 535 -
Starling - 26
Meadow Pipit 11 -
finch sp. 2 -
Blackbird 2 -
Goldfinch 8 -
Fieldfare 76 -

Totals: 1310 individuals, 13 species, 4:55 hours

Comments: A good morning with inversion fogs below till 0855hr. 2ok high stratus gradually over drawing 4ok from east. Otherwise clear blue open sky out to west with first snow of the season cloaking the high Dales tops. Air shift from east brought the inversion fogs upto the watchpoint briefly, but then a walk up towards top Ox, to get well above it, gave the rest of the morning in the clear, with a vast sea of fog lapping below. Pinks, again the birds of the day continued all morning with exceptionally high skeins, way above the fogs and all north west today. Initial skeins seemed to be heading for the Morecambe Bay area, but later on the more normal track. A small Whooper skein out over the sea of fog drew attention by a few contract calls, whilst heading for land, then on SE. Most pigeons very high south above the Pennine watershed route, with thrushes all south as well. Starlings never got going. All in all a very memorable morning. Gulls not realistically counted.

Dave 

Oxenhope.... 2012-11-03

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Saturday 3 November 2012
Counting period: 7:10 - 9:50
Weather: wind SW4, cloud-cover 5/8, visibility 65000m, temperature 1 ℃, FROST, becoming 8ok, 2degC, 50000m, QNH 990 rising 991
Observers: Dave Barker.

Moving Birds:
Cormorant 1 -
Starling - 90
Woodpigeon 297 -
finch sp. 10 -
Meadow Pipit 3 -
Greenfinch 2 -
Fieldfare 69 -
Lesser Redpoll 1 -

Totals: 473 individuals, 8 species, 2:40 hours

Comments: A bitter cold morning with fog stratus developing over the high tops and continually lapping at my back. Gulls not counted today.

Dave