Great Crested Grebe Watching at East Park

A scorching sunny day at East Park. Thirsty Swallows and Swifts deftly swoop down to drink on the lake surface. As we arrive by the lake side we watch a young Coot calls its parents (above). Near the first island, we stop to watch a pair of Grebes, each adult in charge of a young one, of surprisingly different sizes. One of them seem intent of teaching the juvenile how to fish, and mostly ignores its calls, encouraging the chick to dive behind him. When the adult surfaces away from the young, they call them with Gannet-like, hoarse barks. One of the adults stops to groom itself, and the young does the same. 

I see the first Rook I've seen in East Park, also trying to get to drink.

In the waterfront side, a flock of 10 or more Lesser Black Backed gulls feed on bread.

Great Crested grebe adult and grown chick

The chick swimming to meet its parent

Grooming time

This coot nest was so full of rubbish, they seem to select the rubbish themselves to 'adorn' the nest

A very confiding squirrel - although it nipped my finger!

Carrion Crow and Rook ready to drink 

Mating Coots, pity about the railings, but I dared not stand up, as I had followed the whole courtship. The female greeted the male by turning her head toward her belly as he approached.

Bird List

1. Blackbird, carrying feather
2. Blue Tit, chicks calling from inside a tree stump and parents busy going in and out
3. Canada Goose
4. Carrion Crow
5. Chaffinch S
6. Collared Dove
7. Coot, fledglings in different sizes
8. Dunnock
9. Feral Pigeon
10. Goldfinch
11. Great Crested Grebe 4 fledglings in two families
12. Great Tit
13. Greylag Goose
14. Herring Gull
15. House Sparrow
16. Lesser Black-backed Gull c10 
17. Long-tailed Tit
18. Magpie
19. Mallard
20. Moorhen
21. Mute Swan 1 
22. Robin  singing
23. Rook
24. Starling fledgling
25. Swallow
26. Swift
27. Tufted Duck
28. Woodpigeon B 
29. Wren  singing

A trip to Noddle Hill and a Cuckoo

Still with a dark cover of clouds and a chilly wind today, we go for a long walk to Noddle Hill. The Hawthorn is blooming and there are quite a few wild flowers, although we also notice some patches of invasive Japanese Knotweed. As usual, the area is a riot of bird song: Chiffchaffs, Robin, Willow Warblers and Chaffinches greet us in the car park. I hear a Cuckoo in the distance, but I don't hear it again, and with a Collared dove calling nearby, I think it is just wishful thinking.
 As we walk on the open side of the reserve, dotted with mounds of bramble and lone hawthorns, Whitethroats, and a singing Sedge Warbler (above) become apparent. We see see little flocks of Linnets and watch a singing male Reed Bunting.
 Then the Cuckoo calls again, this time much closer to us and there is no mistaken its clear, musical two note call with the Collared Dove's. We sit on a bench and a few minutes later the Cuckoo flies across the field to its next singing post, with wings sharp like scythes and its long narrow tail. It is our first Cuckoo of the year and it is great to see it too.
In the lake, the two families of Greylag geese rest by the water side. The goslings are quite big and the adults seem to be moulting, with lots of primary feathers lying about. They have 3 and 1 gosling left.
Two Reed Warblers sing away by the reeds fringing parts of the lake, but they are near the water side and we do not get a glimpse of them.

View of Red Admiral alley

Monacha cantiana snails keeping dry atop a stem

A view of the grassy, rolling side of the reserve, with sleeping Magpie

An Amber snail far from water

Singing Reed Bunting

Another view of the edge of the reserve

Linnet

A gander defending its only surviving gosling

Chaffinch singing by the car park

Bird list

1. Blackbird
2. Blackcap
3. Blue Tit
4. Carrion Crow
5. Chaffinch
6. Chiffchaff
7. Collared Dove
8. Coot
9. Cuckoo
10. Goldfinch
11. Greylag Goose
12. Herring Gull
13. Jackdaw
14. Lesser Black-backed Gull
15. Linnet
16. Long-tailed Tit
17. Magpie
18. Mallard
19. Pheasant
20. Reed Bunting
21. Reed Warbler
22. Robin
23. Sedge Warbler
24. Skylark
25. Starling
26. Swallow
27. Whitethroat
28. Willow Warbler
29. Woodpigeon
30. Wren

New Shoots at Oak Road Lake

A cold, breezy and cloudy afternoon, we head to Oak Road Playing Fields. The reeds are sprouting fresh shoots, contrasting with the old russet stems. As we walk around the lake, we hear at least four male Reed Warbler singing from deep in the reeds. We manage to see a couple feeding on the reeds and willows fringing the lake.

The Mute Swan pair are now incubating on their large nest amongst the reeds. Access to the nest has been blocked up with willow branches to minimise disturbance by passers by, as it is quite visible from the path. We leave the swan snoozing and carry on. Chiffchaffs, Blackbirds, Robins and a Mistle Thrush sing on the wood by the river Hull.

On the water, the two pairs of Coots are busy feeding their young.

Two young rabbits

Coot with young

Bird List

1. Blackbird
2. Blue Tit
3. Carrion Crow
4. Chaffinch
5. Chiffchaff
6. Collared Dove
7. Coot
8. Dunnock
9. Feral Pigeon
10. Goldfinch
11. Great Spotted Woodpecker
12. Great Tit
13. Herring Gull
14. House Sparrow
15. Lesser Black-backed Gull
16. Linnet
17. Magpie
18. Mallard
19. Mistle Thrush
20. Moorhen
21. Mute Swan
22. Reed Warbler
23. Robin
24. Starling
25. Swift
26. Woodpigeon
27. Wren

Amphibians and reptiles in Pearson Park

I wasn't expecting to find any reptiles in the park today. We have found the occasional snake skin and the park wardens have told us there have been snakes reported - probably released or escaped exotics -, and we knew there were terrapins a few years back, but we assumed they had been captured when the pond was drained. Not so, apparently. We came across this Red Ear Terrapin (Trachemys scripta elegans) enjoying the morning sun by the pond. This species has been widely introduced in the countryside. Although it appears not to be able to breed in this country, the species has become invasive in many other countries.

In the wildlife garden the tadpoles are now quite big

Speckled Wood in the new wet woodland area

A fairly new Moorhen chick. Brave enough to chase a fully grown mallard out of the island

An occasional visitor to the park, a Lesser Black Backed gull.

Snuff Mill Lane and Priory Fields

In the last few months I have paid a few visits to this site on the outskirts of Cottingham. It is one of the closest area of rural land to where I live in Hull. South of the lane itself are low lying fields prone to flooding, overgrown hedges, ditches and ponds, a small lake, trees and grassland. I have never been in the summer, but it looks like a promising butterfly site as there are extensive meadows. Indeed, it was sunny when I arrived yesterday morning and there were many butterflies on the wing, including a male Orange tip, several whites and a Holly Blue. It is also a great spot for birds, with resident Tree Sparrows and Bullfinches. There were many bird species singing and I heard a Whitethroat (above), the first of the year for me, which showed well atop a Hawthorn and then displayed in a song flight.

Despite being a site of scientific interest I have found very little information online about the site history and wildlife.

Snuff Mill Sign

White Lipped Snail

This Stock Dove was so confiding I thought it was a Woodpigeon fledgling - there was a woodpigeon sitting near it, you can see it on the top right hand corner. 

Maybe the fact it is breeding in a nest box on a garden explains why it is so trusting of people.

Mating flies

Fly and beetles on buttercup

Red Campion

Entrance to the site by Bricknell Avenue

White Dead Nettle

Male Blackcap singing

There is a small parking lot by Bricknell Avenue on the entrance to Snuff Mill Lane. There are quite a number of dog walkers on the site, and a busy train line, with only an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing cuts the site in two.

Location map

View Larger Map

Bird list (yesterday and today)

1. Blackbird 
2. Blackcap 
3. Blue Tit 
4. Bullfinch 
5. Carrion Crow 
6. Chaffinch 
7. Chiffchaff 
8. Collared Dove 
9. Dunnock 
10. Goldfinch 
11. Great Spotted Woodpecker 
12. Great Tit 
13. Greenfinch 
14. House Sparrow 
15. Jackdaw 
16. Linnet 
17. Magpie 
18. Mallard 
19. Pheasant 
20. Robin 
21. Rock Dove 
22. (Feral Pigeon) 
23. Starling 
24. Stock Dove 
25. Swallow 
26. Swift 
27. Tree Sparrow 
28. Whitethroat 
29. Woodpigeon 
30. Wren