Urban Birding at Hull: Sculcoates week 11

 A morning walk around the patch, the 1 km square at Sculcoates, Hull, that I am visiting at least once a week. It started a bit drizzly and cold. It was quite high tide, so I headed straight for the river along the cycle lane. Greenfinches screeched and warbled all through. The photos and observations are from Tuesday 16th and Saturday 13th March.

By the river at Wilmington bridge, a young feral pigeon looking just out of the nest was being fed by a parent. Although some city pigeons look quite scruffy, I find Hull feral pigeons beautiful and can't stop myself from photographing them.

Adult and fledgling feral pigeon.

One of the feral pigeons breeding by the Wilmington bridge.

I checked the Redshank roost. Ten birds were present at high tide, only 2 were visible at low tide in the area on Saturday. As birds spread along the river banks to feed at low tide, the high tide allows a count of birds present in the area.

Redshank roost.

A sparrowhawk was being chased by crows, and a small bird (not in the photo), possibly a feisty goldfinch.

Carrion Crow chasing sparrowhawk.

Long Tailed tits were all in evidence, their constant movement makes them difficult to photograph.

The mixed gull roost at the playing fields included two Lesser Black-backed gulls, with many Black-headed Gulls and a few Common Gulls.

Stock Dove pair.

At the north cemetery at Sculcoates Lane, when under the large oak, I hear a chiffchaff singing. I catch up with it, but it only allows a record shot.

The flowering willow is humming with bumblebees, they all look like Buff-tailed bumblebees.

A magpie pair in the cemetery is nest building, one of them is in the nest, but hard to see. Crows are also nesting. One flies by holding a branch in its bill, but it caws and drops it! A Linnet lands on a bush in the cemetery, only the second I see this year.

There were at least 3 Bullfinches, a pair started feeding on the hawthorn with the magpie nest. Here is the male

...and the female.

Some crows gathered atop a tree.

I longingly keep checking the spot where the pair of Little Grebes used to be. They are gone. But I got a lovely surprise, a drake Teal, a patch tick!

Drake teal.

I heard a loud call. It was a female moorhen calling its mate. She solicited copulation by standing near the water with her head down. The male obliged. This happened both on Saturday and Tuesday. I gather they might be nesting nearby.

A Mallard pair, showing how camouflaged the females are.