High Royd

Not a lot to report for the last few days - but it's not for the lack of trying !

I did High Royd on 3 days scoping the filter beds - hoping perhaps for an early Sand Martin. It's usually a very good spot for them with the emerging insects if the weather is a bit milder. Later on it's a good spot for House Martins and Swallows into April and then Swifts into late April and May.

Plenty of activity on and around the filter beds with a good count of 80+ Pied Wagtails with a careful search for White Wagtails but no luck there. Up to 4 Grey Wagtails and Carrion Crows galore with 100+. 

1 Meadow Pipit, up to 4 Reed Buntings and a few Mallard on and off.

Nearby the site were Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreepers, Goldcrest and Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, Jays and Jackdaws etc. Canada Geese and Cormorant flyovers and Goosander on the canal.

Also a suspicion of a Green Sandpiper that got flushed by workers from the filter beds. I'm still not 100% sure as it was such a brief view though did get a white rump towards the river and nothing else. I'll have to let that go. 

Also this week, further reports of  Iceland Gulls still about just out of our area, as well as a few Chiffchaffs locally and the Firecrest still at Cromwell Bottom. Let's see what this next week can turn up as the daylight lengthens. Might need some decent dry weather as well though !