Vismig - Tue Oct 26th 2010 - Hutton Roof, Cumbria & Hold Up of Fieldfare in Crook/Underbarrow

Tuesday October 26th 2010 - Hutton Roof, Cumbria.
0730hrs - 0815hours
Wind: SW15-20mph.
Raining, heavy and light and cold.

Redwing: 65 all W (best 30W,2,2,,20SW,11SE)
Fieldfare: 33 (3S,2S,2E,11S,15SE)
Chaffinch: 33 (20W 13E (best 5s & 4s)
Mistle Thrush: 1
Starlings: Thousands ex roost.

Some fantastic information just come in. Whilst on Hutton this morning I met up with Dave the gardener who himself is keen on birds and travels the area each day to his work. He usually reports to me every morning if he has seen anything interesting the day before, a guy who knows his birds and been very interested in migration.

He was telling me that yesterday whilst working at the place called Crook/Underbarrow (Head of the Lyth Valley), he noticed from his clients dwelling that the fields nearby where literally covered with thousands (possibly up to ten or more) of Fieldfare in all the fields and trees supporting the nearby valley, everything was covered with birds and little room between them.

So this is probably confirming a little bit more of a "ancient routing" I have always suspected. Years ago when I used to watch from "Sandside" (Milnthorpe), I used to see Fieldfare going over Storth and eventually what looked like making their way up the "Lyth Valley". And this new information now seems to support that this may well be the case....

Probably even more interesting is that on Sunday last, I was under the immpression we did have the annual semi or full on Fieldfare "thrush push" at least in this neck of the woods, but am now beginning to wonder, if it was only a secondary or semi (thrush push) and possibly we still have the main one to come!! or would that be wishful thinking!

Simply the fact, that these birds already mentioned would without doubt be the Sunday birds some of which I possibly did manage to see (in part), now being held up at the very top of the "Lyth Valley". I would certainly have expected that if it had been the main "thrush push" the birds would have carried on to their final destinations (suggested to me by others at various: From here to Stranraer, then crossing at the nearest part to Ireland, then eventually loop around into Southern Europe, before making there way back up into Northern Europe for the early Spring.... Is all this feasible!!

I think this mapping out of routes is probably one of the most difficult things to work on, because most obviously, every valley and high ridge seems to be used at various times, but does alter slightly according to the winds and conditions, but even so, there are valleys and valleys, some of which hold the most ancient of routes and if they could be linked, and a map of passage corridors worked out would be great.