Had to travel to Leeds this afternoon so stopped off around 5:30 for a walk in the south Dales. The weather was remarkably good, given the forecast of heavy rain and the ominous thunderclouds overhead. The walk took in a river valley (complete with uncut hay), an upland farm, a narrow limestone dale and a trek over high pasture back to the start. Best birds on route were two pairs of Yellow Wagtails (146) gathering food, a noisy Kestrel family in a shelter belt, Common Sandpiper and Oystercatcher along the beck, plenty of Swallows and House Martins around the farms (plus three Swifts, Stock Dove, Treecreeper, Spotted Flycatcher, Rook, Jackdaw, Pied Wagtail, Starling, House Sparrow etc), Curlew, Skylark, Meadow Pipit and lots of Wheatears on the tops and a large flock of (presumably post-breeding) Lapwings (although a couple tried a bit of half-hearted mobbing). All that, and three hours without a sight of another human being, made for a really lovely time.