Going quiet at Slate......

Yesterday I had a few bits and bats as follows: Starling: 4NW, Pied Wagtail: 1, Siskin: 1, Meadow Pipit: 25 plus another 80 blogging, Goldfinch 30 blogging party, Chaffinch: 3, Skylark: 1, Greenfinch: 1, BHG: 53, Mistle Thrush: 2, Stonechat: 2, Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1......

Things have been going quiet at Slate, after all its that time of year once again. Also most other stuff, especially the flora now seems well spent....so I will be turning the bulk of my attention to the Haslingden Grane to register counts of migratory thrushes over the next few weeks, has they past through on a East - West corridor.. So I would now expect very little will be recorded on the Top O'th Slate site for a while, although I will try and get some photos on from time to time.... Please keep checking...... thanks... (photo: Spent Rosebay Willowherb - click on photo to enlarge)... If in the meantime you want to check out the Grane site please click on this link: http://haslingdengrane.blogspot.com/

Brambling - First one of the year.....

Last 2 or 3 days no count because of thick fogs etc. Today just managed one hour before thick fog yet again came rolling in and stopped play. 0700-0800hrs. Movement South unless stated. Wind: South 5mph. My first brambling of Autumn - no Thrushes yet! Meadow Pipit: 46 (plus 10 blogging), Pied Wagtail: 1, Chaffinch: 6, Brambling: 1 Reed Bunting: 1, Starling: 3, Mistle Thrush: 1, Linnet: 2NW.

Still fairly quiet on the bird migration front...

Tuesday October 7th 2008 0700HRS-0800HRS.. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OVER ONE HOUR....

Today Wednesday October 8th 2008 0700hrs-0900hrs... Pied Wagtail: 16 (2NW), Meadow Pipit: 56 & 20+ blogging, Chaffinch: 7, LBBG:6, Goldfinch: 1N, Linnet: 5W, Greenfinch: 7, Common Snipe: 5 (one party N), Lapwing: 30 off Cribden Flatts SW probably local.. Stonechat: 2, Woodpigeon: 5, 1N, Blackbird: 1 Reed Bunting: 1 BHG: 17 moving S down below at Carrs (presumed local) Carrion Crow:5, Raven: 2 W, Redpoll: 2, Cormorant: 1 SW Siskin: 1

A Late Swallow today -

Vismig - 4th,5th & 6th October 2008 Both Saturday and Sunday was very poor... never ever known it to be so quiet at this time of the year in my 20+ years of vismigging (visible migration of birds)..

Saturday 4th October: Goldfinch: 6, Meadow Pipit: 14, Linnet: 2, Chaffinch: 1,

Sunday 5th October: 0700-0900hrs BHG: 121 moving down at Carrs, LBBG: 11, Meadow Pipit: 12, Chaffinch: 13, Siskin: Audible only one party, Kestrel: 1 local....

Today Monday October 6th 2008

Wind: SE 6mph 0700hrs - 0900hrs Movement South unless stated otherwise. Meadow Pipit: 147, Pied Wagtail: 15 (1N) one party 11, Siskin:2, Swallow: 1, Chaffinch: 10, Greenfinch: 1, Goldfinch: 27 (one party at 10,12), Starling: 8 (one party 5, first migrant Starlings), Cormorant: 1, LBBG: 3, Carrion Crow: 1, Kestrel: 1 presumed local/

Photo: The Red Sky this morning looking East... click over photo to enlarge..

Probably the worst day in many a year......

0700hrs - 0830hrs Wind: very strong and cold NW 15mph All movement South unless stated otherwise. Today was dire! in fact I would go along with saying probably the worst day in many a year... Meadow Pipit: 6 (3NW) Chaffinch: 2 Lapwing: 25 (wintering on Cribden Flatts-local) BHG: 2 LBBG: 13

3 Unidentified Slim/slick gullish dark grey phase birds....

0700hrs-0830hrs, Wind: NW10-15mph Movement: South unless stated otherwise. Still very quiet with little moving... Meadow Pipit:28, Pied Wagtail: 4 (2N), Starling: 1NW, Woodpigeon: 2, Chaffinch: 2, Greenfinch: 1, Sparrowhawk:1 (probably local), Kestrel: 1 (probably local), Carrion Crow: 4, Goldfinch: 2, LBBG: 25, BHG: 13, Goose Species: 4 NW (too far away over North Blackburn to identify), Linnet:3, Lapwing: 12 on Cribden Flats (probably now local having reached their Winter destination), Siskin (audible only), Goosander:1, and the possible stars of the day remain unidentified - 3 party, they where similar in size to BHG but very greyish (darkish and dirty throughout - reminded me of the colouring similar to Fulmar, but far slimmer than Fulmer, could they possibly have been Black Tern?) in appearance, on the route East to West...