Oxenhope.... yet more mips and tit explosion! 04-10-2010

Post sunrise... (c) Howard Creber 2010


Fumulus and inversion mist out to the east.... (c) Howard Creber 2010


The BIG Blue Yonder!.... (c) Howard Creber 2010

Oxenhope, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Monday 4 October 2010
Counting period: 6:50-13:50
Weather: S F1, 6 rising 16degC, 70km, 4/8 becoming 1/8 ac, sc, velum, QNH 999 ridging then falling
Observers: Howard Creber, Gordon Holmes

Moving birds:
Pink-footed Goose 60 -
Grey Wagtail 1 -
finch sp. 17 -
Common Buzzard 5 -
alba wagtail sp. 19 -
Greenfinch 67 -
Common Snipe 1 -
Ring Ouzel 1 -
Goldfinch 66 -
Skylark 5 -
Mistle Thrush 2 -
Linnet 46 -
Swallow 317 -
Jackdaw 15 -
Reed Bunting 5 -
House Martin 70 -
Starling - 27
Red Admiral 14 -
Meadow Pipit 984 -
Chaffinch 97 -

Totals: 1819 individuals, 20 species, 7:00 hours

Comments: Yesterdays fronts tracking NE and away from late PM yesterday. Open sky overnight with QNH rising, ridging at c0800 then falling. Inversion mist. Wind from WSW overnight becoming south, then light and variable....At long last, after 5 consecutive days of fog/mist, it was clear on the hills today. Murky only in the valley bottoms, an inversion. A beautiful spring like day, as untypically autumnal as one could get. Clear blue sky overhead did not however make for easy observation. Initially Mipits were coming through very high indeed, given away only by their seep`s. Some were seen but the bulk went unseen and thus uncounted. Plenty of finches and hirundines on the move also and again some went by heard but unseen in the clear blue yonder. Hence totals of these species are minima. One skein of Pinkies were picked up way out towards Stainburn, probably 20 miles distant. Five Buzzards moving through south (3 individuals and a pair) were well spaced out and interesting. The bird of the day was a Ring Ouzel acutally moving SE with a group of Swallows of all things, quite close in to the watchpoint and seen by both observers. The warm quiet conditions also gave rise to 14 Red Admirals (first at 10.05 hrs), 1 Peacock and 2 Small Copper`s..... Moving Birds :- Mipits - 984 SW... Mistle Thrush - 2 NW... Jackdaw - 15 NW... Greenfinch - 67 S... Chaffinch - 97 S... Goldfinch - 66 S... Linnet - 46 S... Finch species - 5 & 12 S... Alba Wag - 19 W... Grey Wag - 1 W... Swallow - 317 SE... House Martin - 70 SE... Ring Ouzel - 1 SE... Reed Bunting - 5 W... Skylark - 5 S... Starling - 27 NW (4 squadrons)... Buzzard - 5 S... Snipe - 1 NW... Pinkfeet - circa 60 S...

Howard and Gordon
.........................................
PAUL CLOUGH 04-10-2010

0700 - 0915hr

At last a clear morning but with thrushless skies, although after a slow start the Tits and Finches made up somewhat for the total lack of thushes, a surprise not to see a single individual in the Clough at this time of year.

Meadow pipits 80, Bluetits 10, Great Tits 12, Coaltits 62, Long Tailed Tit 24, Bullfinch 7, Chaffinch 98, Greenfinch 61, Goldfinch 32, Redpoll 10, Swallows 14. Sparrowhawk 1.

Brian Vickers

Coal Tit moving up Paul.... (c) Brian Vickers 2010

Coal Tits..... moving off... (c) Brian Vickers 2010

Caldene Fields, Low Moor.... 04-10-2010

Low level mist at the watchpoint!... (c) Martyn Priestley 2010

Caldene Fields, Bradford (W Yorks, England)
Monday 4 October 2010
Counting period: 7:00-9:15
Weather: Dry with 80% thick ground mist clearer to the E, slight drop in temp to 6c and no wind of note. At 7.30 50% open skies from the S/W and then a further increase in low mist and fog. Vis ranging from 1 to 10 miles,
Observers: Martyn Priestley

Moving Birds;
Mallard 4 + 2
Redwing 6 -
finch sp. 1 -
Black-headed Gull 104 -
Jackdaw 7 -
Greenfinch 4 + 9
Woodpigeon 10 + 39
Rook 1 -
Goldfinch 63 + 34
Meadow Pipit 61 -
Carrion Crow 8 + 3
Lesser Redpoll - 1
Grey Wagtail - 1
Starling 3 -
Snow Bunting 1 -
alba wagtail sp. 19 + 2
Chaffinch 2 -

Totals: 385 individuals, 17 species, 2:15 hours

Comments: A possible good day spoilt by mist and fog causing birds to fly high. To illustrate this point I found 2 high flying parties of Goldfinch in a break in the mist 1 containing 38 birds and the other 25. Mips were moving here but seen birds were few. Another Rook was noted again to the S and Woodies are getting a bit restless possiblely due to the slight drop in tempreture here with a flock of 100+ moving S only to break up and move in all directions. The highlight today (at last ) was a calling Snow bunting (s) at 07.23 which moved to the S/E and a possible further bird moved a few minutes later also to the S/E but was not counted.

Martytn Priestley