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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Norfolk birding (22 Viewers)

Irene Boston said:
Just as a couple of examples:
Mid May '92 - a high to the east and a low out in the Atlantic produced long range south easterly winds and some places were knee deep in RF Falcons.

Mid May '85 - a Bluethroat arrival in easterlies on the northern edge of a low pressure off the E. Anglian coast. Or May '87 when a high to the north of the UK also let in Bluethroats on easterlies.rus

Although a low pressure to the south of us can also halt the arrival of migrants, as can a high pressure too far to the west of the UK which results in northerly blocking winds. And, conversely, once those northerlies or the low pressure gives way, it opens the floodgates for good numbers of spring migrants. Although, as Pom says, unlike the more leisurely southward progression in autumn, they're in a hurry and you've got to be quick.

Roll on the spring.
Irene
Click to expand...

Hi Irene many thanks for the pressure stuff, although ive roughly got the hang of charts, i sometimes find that overanalysis ties you in knots - trying to work out the exact time a fall will hit - pouring over rain fronts and pressure degrees can easily go wrong and you can end up booking the wrong day off and then be gripped when it all happens the day after. Find winds a more general guide, and as long as your out in the field looking your in with a chance - even though it can be mega... frustating!

just to add another bit of reading fodder - Birds of Blakeney Point by Stoddart and Joyner has got some of those famous weather systems
 
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Wind...

pomskua said:
i sometimes find that overanalysis ties you in knots - trying to work out the exact time a fall will hit - pouring over rain fronts and pressure degrees can easily go wrong and you can end up booking the wrong day off and then be gripped when it all happens the day after. Find winds a more general guide, and as long as your out in the field looking your in with a chance - even though it can be mega... frustating!
Click to expand...

I know what you mean! You can go out in what looks like it should be promising conditions only to end up staring at empty bushes and quiet skies. I do find it fascinating though to look back at what combination of circumstances produced the goods in the past and try and learn from that for the future - I'm just a migration anorak!

Although sometimes, even when the winds are 'right', other factors conspire against either the arrival of big numbers or mega rares. I think the east coast's been thwarted a few times in the autumn when the high pressure over Scandinavia has not extended far enough east to open that long range window to allow the tasty Sibes through. Or Scandinavia has had high pressure and we've got easterlies but further east into Russia is a low pressure blocking things.

The other fascinating thing I find is how sites in Norfolk differ between spring and autumn. Snettisham coastal park is fantastic for spring migrants, but doesn't seem so productive in autumn. Why? Haven't the foggiest! It can't just be that observer coverage is lower ... can it?

pomskua said:
Birds of Blakeney Point by Stoddart and Joyner has got some of those famous weather systems
Click to expand...

Excellent tome, and among other things, full of those lovely pressure charts! ;)

Irene
 
What sort of conditions did last years Black Lark arrive in? Cant find a link to any pressue charts etc. What a day though!

Its on my shelf, one of those when I get round to its, but Norman Elkin's 'Weather and Bird Behaviour' looks to be comprehensive, from the bits I have dipped into.
Cheers,
Jim.
 
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jimbob said:
What sort of conditions did last years Black Lark arrive in? Cant find a link to any pressue charts etc.
Click to expand...

I managed to miss all the excitement that day (my usual good timing!), so I can't remember what the conditions were like.

In case it's of use, this website allows you to enter dates to look at pressure charts and winds for those past dates. Not sure how far back it goes but it might be worth a go...

http://expert.weatheronline.co.uk/pslv_frame.htm

Irene
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ukweather/year_review/reviews/april2008_review_england.shtml

Black Lark was 20th April

couldnt find the exact chart, best could do is this summary, but classic conditions by the looks of things, remember looking at the charts at th e time and the E's were reallt long range blowing straight off Russian Steppes. The day itself started really drizzy and overcast, a few Ring Ouzel in but no signs of anything big, remember we had checked Kelling WM once and i think 1 Swallow, then returned at around 12.30 just as the sun was beginning to come out, the drizzle lifted and it turned into a beautiful 'light' spring day. Suddenly we had birds everywhere, Wheatears arriving as we were there BH followed by Yellow and White Wag, increased Huirudines, Osprey - i.e a proper fall. Guess this was the exac time as the high pressure was establishing itself as the front moved through. By the evening it was a glorious sunny day - so almost a classic fall in reverse drizzle followed by clear skies rather than overcast/clearish conditions followed by rain (i.e autumn falls)

interestingly the birds found the next day at Winterton - SubA (not totally confirmed), Hoopoe and to an extent Wryneck (in April) are all 'overshooting' migrants.

worth trying to find the exact chart as it could be the key to finding the next mega!
 
Titchwell Today nice views of water pipit a couple of feet from parrender hide. Lots of Golden eye on sea with a goosander. One distant duck poss a scoter but too far for me to ID. The highlight though was over the brackish marsh and heralded by clouds of lapwings and gulls, a falcon about the same size as the lapwing it was hunting, scythe shaped wings looked reddish under parts and slate grey back. It was locked in classic falcon hunt doing several steep rises and then plunging out of sun at the lapwing before it gave up and flew off. A gripping life and death struggle but I don't know what it was any ideas?
 
Dave Hawkins said:
Forecast for next few days for Hunstanton from http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/7days.asp

Pressure chart from Met office. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/surface_pressure.html

Any bird predictions?

Dave
Click to expand...

Bird predictions - there will be lots of birds but you wont be able to see them for the blinding snow.

Actually, being serious there is snow forecast for later in the weekend which may not be too pleasant to be out and about in. I have read this weather/bird predictions part of this thread with interest. I use the windsurfing website, Magicseaweed, quite a bit as it seems reasonably accurate especially with the wind speed/strength etc. It is at
http://magicseaweed.com/msw-surf-charts2.php?chart=1&res=500&type=pressure&starttime=1233273600
if anyone wants a look. Quite nice to watch the changes predicted day by day.
 
Cracking website there Dave! Very precise... Lets hope we get some South Easterlies this Spring...
 
Useful for seawatches

Colin said:
I use the windsurfing website, Magicseaweed, quite a bit as it seems reasonably accurate especially with the wind speed/strength etc. It is at
http://magicseaweed.com/msw-surf-charts2.php?chart=1&res=500&type=pressure&starttime=1233273600
if anyone wants a look. Quite nice to watch the changes predicted day by day.
Click to expand...

A feature on 'magicseaweed' is the ability to see what the wind is doing out in different parts of the North Sea on the weather buoys. This is very useful for autumn seawatching or viz-miging.
http://magicseaweed.com/UK-Ireland-Wave-Buoys/1/
 

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