Wild at Hull: Hornsea Mere and Wassand Estate

Monday 1 October 2012

Hornsea Mere and Wassand Estate

A fine morning, with sunny spells and a light breeze, I make a first stop at Kirkholme Nab in Hornsea Mere. The place is strangely deserted, much different from the weekend. The mixed flock of Mute Swans, geese, coots and Mallards still expects to be fed, but I disappoint them today. I spot a Grey Heron on a tree on the shore opposite, and she is joined by two more later. Lone Cormorants come and go, and a couple of immature Great Crested Grebes hassle one of the adults for food. No sign of the Little Gulls or terns this time. As I watch the mere with the binoculars, I notice a large flock of hirundines flying high over the lake. They are barely visible by eye, and must be refuelling by feeding on insects. I don't manage to identify them to species. A dragonfly, possibly a Migrant Hawker hunts by the shore. Jackdaws mob seagulls or the other way round: its hard to tell.

I move onto Southorpe road and I park at the end. I start towards Wassand Hall. The paths are muddy and the grass wet, and I soon have wet feet, but in compensation it is quite warm. There is a mix of meadows and copses, with the occasional glimpse of the mere in the distance. There are many Speckled Wood butterflies, some Commas and a Red Admiral, which I flush on the way there and back. Over the meadows, Migrant Hawkers hunt. As I approach the trees, I hear the startled alarm of a Jay, and I manage to spot if flying in between trees. A Chiffchaff sings and in the way back I spot a family of Goldcrests, at some point I also hear a male singing. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers on the conifers top the woodland bird count.
On coming back, I see that a boy and his mum and a dog are looking under my car. The woman explains there is a white rabbit under the car. Indeed there is, a fluffy, immaculately white rabbit with blue eyes. After a few minutes, we manage to catch it. The woman seems quite happy to have found an extra pet while walking the dog. We are quite far from houses, so the presumably the escaped pet rabbit has hopped quite a way.