Monday 2 December 2013

Foggy East Park

It was very atmospheric when I arrived in East Park today. The thick blanket of fog made photography tricky, though. In the little boating lake two female goosander preened themselves, surrounded by a raucous group of mixed gulls bathing. The rowans between the lakes were very busy with many Blackbirds, Woodpigeons and a Goldfinch feeding on berries. I spotted a Sparrowhawk sat atop a tree, which then gave a half-hearted chase to a thrush over the boating lake.
 I walked around the lake and came across more Goosanders, first a pair, then a large group of 14 on the east side of the lake.
 Some screeching noises mixed with black-headed gull calls called my attention. A parakeet! it flew into a garden by the park and then reappeared on a tree. I was able to approach and take some foggy photos, this was my first parakeet in Hull. A crow then came and scared it off.
 While walking on the east side of the park I heard the soft 'tu-i' call of a warbler and I located a Chiffchaff on a large willow, feeding with a pair of Blue tits. I manage some shots, and then of another individual near the bridge.
 No signs of the one-legged moorhen by the wooden bridge of the lake.
While trying to get closer to the Goosanders hiding behind tree trunks I saw a Treecreeper quite close to me. It crept higher in the tree, but it was behaving strangely. Then it stopped completely pretending to be a branch. A Magpie called from the same tree. Was the treecreeper trying to avoid being seen by the magpie? It stayed motionless for quite a few minutes, and I could get my best treecreeper photos ever. The Magpie flew off and the Treecreeper carried on climbing the tree.
Drake Mallard
Female Goosanders
Bathing common gull
Sparrowhawk
A young woodpigeon tries to reach a rowan berry
Woodpigeon eating rowan berries
Ring-necked parakeet
Ring-necked parakeet
Black-headed gull
Wallaby
Drake Goosander
Chiffchaff
Treecreeper
'frozen' treecreeper
Spot the magpie and the treecreper
Another one of the treecreeper
Chiffchaff
Bird List
  1. Black-headed Gull    
  2. Blackbird    
  3. Blue Tit    
  4. Canada Goose    
  5. Carrion Crow    
  6. Chaffinch    
  7. Chiffchaff 2   
  8. Collared Dove   S - Singing male
  9. Common Gull    
  10. Coot    
  11. Dunnock    
  12. Feral Pigeon    
  13. Goldcrest    
  14. Goldfinch    
  15. Goosander 18   
  16. Great Spotted Woodpecker    
  17. Great Tit    
  18. Greylag Goose    
  19. Herring Gull    
  20. House Sparrow    
  21. Long-tailed Tit    
  22. Magpie    
  23. Mallard    
  24. Moorhen    
  25. Pochard    
  26. Ring-necked Parakeet 1   
  27. Robin   S - Singing male
  28. Sparrowhawk 1   
  29. Starling    
  30. Treecreeper 1   
  31. Tufted Duck    
  32. Woodpigeon