River Hull. Stage 16. Wansford to Whinhill Farm

I start this stage at Wansford stone bridge over the river (West Beck at this stage) and walk west on the river's right bank. It is a mild day, cloudy with sunny spells, a Red Admiral basks on the road sign, many Caddis flies on the wing too. 
 Most of the section, the path runs across pasture fields, alongside the river bank, but separated from it by a fence as this section of the river is a fishery and the path on the bank is not public access. Despite the 'welcoming' sign announcing a bull is in the first field, there are actually just two horses. They are feeding by the gate and they come to welcome me as I cross it. The next field, by the buildings and large trees of Golden Hill Farm, is smaller and not grazed, the grass is long and lush. As I approach the 3rd field I see a herd of cattle all watching me intently right by the other side of the fence. The gate is in the middle of the field, so crossing the gate would mean walking through them. Mmm, maybe not. I jump to the other side of the fence and walk alongside the field by the river bank.
 There are quite a few Redwings about, passing overhead and on the hedges. Chirruping Skylarks also fly over, one of them singing from a field. I watch a Kestrel picking a large worms on a field, and then hovering and eventually settling on a fence to hunt. Three Little Egrets shine from a field. All along the walk, there are Cormorants flying over.
 The river meanders, sometimes quite narrow, with low branches of willows growing over it, sometimes wider. The bottom is quite visible, with lots of aquatic vegetation. The banks have scattered trees. I walk by a fish farm, Wansford trout farm, just opposite. It is covered with green plastic mesh, but two Grey Herons manage to go in and fly out, somehow avoiding the mesh. A Kingfisher flies upstream. I look in the area where I think it went, but instead I surprise two Little Grebes, one of them holding a small fish, but both dive to avoid me.
  Suddenly, it is very muddy underfoot and I almost lose a boot on a boggy area on a bend of the river. Later, on my way back, I flush a Snipe from the same area of flooded pasture.
 At the other side of the drain that runs parallel to the river there is a field with a shallow pond, where four Green Sandpipers fly off, their alarm calls reminiscent of a Swallows. On my way back I approach cautiously and three of them are back feeding on the edge of the water.

I was curious of the name on the map: 'Otter Island'. When I reach it however, it is not an island, just a small copse by the river. A Great Spotted Woodpecker calls from a dead branch.
 The river becomes quite shallow now and there is a ford crossing it (top shot). After a little while I come to the end of the public right of way, on the grounds owned by Mulberry Whin fly fishing and retrace my steps. The way back proving far less eventful. A total of 44 bird species in the 3 km2 surveyed.

An inviting sign greets the walker at the beginning of the path. Just two friendly horses were on the field fortunately.

Two Mute Swans go down the weir under the bridge.

The horses on the 'bull field' fields.

More invertebrates about: Yellow Dung Flies on pat.

Kestrel on a fence. I watched it catching a large earthworm from a field.

The floodplain on a the river bend. Although grazed, this boggy field seems connected to the river, with no embankment.

Buildings by Whinhill Weir.

Whinhill Weir

A Moon fly, Mesembrina sp.

The Green Sandpiper pond

The only bridge across the river on the stretch, a wooden footbridge closed to the general public.

Young Mute Swan affected by 'angel wing', a malformation on the wing caused by a poor diet such as bread. The flight feathers are malformed and stick outwards.

The end of the Public Right of Way at the Mulberry Whin fly-fishing section, and the end of today's section.

My lunch spot. A bench overlooking the river near the location of the former  'Bobby's Bridge'

The private bridge on the way back. 

One of the Green Sandpipers feeding on the pond shallows.

Little Egrets on field.

More information
This walk is described at the 'Walking the riding' website. Walk N26.

River Hull. Stage 15. Snakeholm Pastures and Wansford

A balmy, calm day with sunny spells, I start the stage at Wansford. I have a foray around the village, and walk along Nafferton Beck, one of the tributaries of the river Hull. A couple of Grey Wagtails fly off, one of them singing from a roof. On the lake at Mill Farm, a large flock of Wigeon takes off. There are also Little Grebes, Little Egrets, Cormorants and Greylag. I return to the bridge over the river Hull (called West Beck here) and enter Snakeholme Pastures, a small YWT nature reserve comprising a couple of fields by the river Hull. A Kestrel flies ahead of me.

 The river has clear water over the chalk, with a lot of marginal vegetation and plenty of aquatic vegetation and occasional willows and elder on the banks. The flow of water is faster than downstream and the river crosses 5 m altitude contour line in this stage and the banks don't appear to have been artificially embanked, although dredging has taken place until recently. In a deep pool with a gravelly bottom I watch a group of Grayling, lazily swimming in the current. Later I see a large Brown Trout on the edge of the stream.

I surprise a Barn Owl sitting on a large hole of a dead tree, but I am too slow to take a photo before it flies away. The river meanders and so do I following it, trying to stay close to it. A Kingfisher calls coming downstream and turns swiftly over as it spots me. 

As noon approaches, the sunny spells become longer and I heard the mewing of some Buzzards that have started soaring. Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws fly up to ride the rising air with some gulls too.

As the temperature also rises, many adult Caddis fly and there are active Common Darters, with a mating pair. Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals and Small Whites are on the wing.

 Snakeholm Pastures joins Copper Hall and Skerne Wetlands in a large protected area lining the east side of the river. There is evidence of some work to improve the river margins, reducing erosion, but the section in the farm with Galloway cattle is almost bare in the river bank.

 On the way back a couple of Jays fly into an oak in a small copse by the path. I saw a total of 55 birds during the stage. Altogether, a beautiful, wildlife-rich stretch of river.

Nafferton Beck at Mill Farm.

The lake at Mill Farm.

The entrance of Snakeholme Meadows.

View of Wansford Bridge over the River Hull.

A wobbly bridge over the river.

A group of Grayling

And my best shot of one of the Grayling showing the large, colourful dorsal fin.

I sneaked close to this Brown Trout, which was swimming close to the bank.

Common Darter.

Mute Swan flyover

An impressive Ash tree on Copper Hall farm.

Little Egret

Caddis Fly.

More information

Snakeholm Pastures. YWT website here.

Skerne Wetlands. YWT website here.

Interview with Jon Traill, the site manager of Skerne Wetlands.

A trip to Selwicks Bay

The westerly wind lashed strong and I decided to go to the coast, to an east facing beach sheltered by the cliffs, Selwick Bay, just below the lighthouse at Flamborough. It was very breezy atop the cliffs and I made my way down on the steep path and steps, and quickly found respite from the wind. I searched the scrub at the side of the path for migrant birds and I soon found a young Stonechat. There were at least three in the area, sallying for insects during sunny spells, and watching intently from their perches in prominent dry flowerheads. Large flocks of goldfinches and Linnets were also about.
A few House Martins flew over the cliffs, they didn't seem to mind the wind. There are several nests in this bay and others at Flamborough headland, but these are more likely to be migrants.
 There was a Migrant Hawker dragonfly hunting in the beach, flying low over the kelp in the tide line, which is buzzing with flies. As for other invertebrates, a few Red Admirals and some Carder Bees.

The steep steps and the Flamborough lighthouse. 

There is a fold in the chalk sediments at the cliff, where strata are vertical instead of the usual horizontal in much of the Flamborough coast. 

A small creek near the area of rock folding is parallel to the stairs,

Beach robin foraging for flies among the strand line kelp.

The tide was low but rising.

One of two very sleepy turnstones were roosting atop the beach.

Also some pied Wagtails, showing how cryptic they are on a background of pebbles.

View of the bay.

There were a couple of meadow pipits on the beach. This one had a quick bath on a freshwater puddle from the creek.

The usual Rock Pipits were around too.

Male Stonechat.

There were at least six grey seals, some looking young. Several were dozing, but this one spent quite some time watching a couple of dogs running on the beach.

Another male Stonechat. 

A male Whitethroat sheltering from the wind in some brambles.