I had a brief sojourn down Otley Wetland earlier, on yet another dreary, damp July day.
Hadn't been down for a few weeks, so was rather surprised to see two Goldeneyes spending the summer. They looked like females, but this time of year, ducks are in moult, so could be a pair.
Not much else bird wise, as you'd expect in July, just a single juvenile Little Grebe (at least they bred), a few Cormorants, Oystercatchers, Lapwings and LBB Gulls, Common Sandpiper (heard only), pair of Common Tern (couldn't seen any young, although one bird was aggressive towards a Jackdaw), four Stock Doves, a few Common Swifts, the odd House Martin, and a few Reed Warblers.
The Aire was very high today. Two of the three Sand Martin colonies along the Utley-Silsden stretch (the busiest two of the three) were flooded, although each had one or two birds hanging around. The third was still well above water level but was completely abandoned anyway! Not sure they would have had time to squeeze a brood out before it flooded. The two sites where Common Sandpiper seemed to be attempting to breed were also gone! However, there was action at both Kingfisher nests, so not all bad news!
Josh Selfe
