High Royd

I went to check the filter bed location adjacent to the canal about a mile west of Sowerby Bridge this afternoon in the search of hirundines.

I wasn't disappointed, though it's impossible to get a decent count with a mass of birds feeding voraciously on the leeward side of the filter beds. Maybe 180+ Swallows, 30+ House Martins and an occasional Sand Martin with them. Wonderful to see these birds fresh back from Africa.

It's a shame the former sludge beds are now well overgrown and impossible to view with the mass of vegetation and trees. They used to be so good for waterfowl especially in winter.