Lots of bird movement W but at Cloudbase altitudes....

0645hrs-0900hrs
Wind: NE12mph and very cold..
Movement: W unless stated otherwise.
Also got tip off yesterday evening and again early this morning by the radar people currently based at Skegness and from another contact in Holland that thousands of Starlings and Thrushes where coming in off from the North Sea all night, and from this information it was expected to be a burster here in Rossendale. However a funny sort of morning developed with only dribs and drabs going all over the place in various directions. After about one hour I realized what was going on. I thought where are all these birds, we're not getting them... but it soon become apparent after looking high into the cloudbase that thats where they were going through with haste and on several occasions when I could bear to look up with the glasses into these high levels, I could see good large 30-50 parties going through, so thats where they were and obviously thousands will have been missed, with just a sampling actual recorded going through at ordinary levels...
Redwing: 221 (best parties: 20,32,20,30,30,30,30) and will have missed thousands going over in the cloudbase.....
Starling: 121 (best party: 50) again they went quiet after the opening hour and again then went high into the cloudbase.....
Fieldfare: 43 (some even going E and SE) but again the main would be going high over...
Woodpigeon: 3SW, Cormorant: 1 probably local, Meadow Pipit: 1, BHG: 12, Mistle Thrush: 2, Greenfinch: 1, Blackbird: 7 (2,5), Goldfinch: 1, Redpoll: 1. (photos: l: Shimmering over Calf Hey Res at 3pm today.....r: another strange cloud pattern over Calf Hey at 9am today - click over photos to enlarge)