Migration at Pickering Park

 

An overdue Wetland Bird survey at Pickering Park. A lovely morning, sunny and still. I wake up early and head towards the park, hoping to beat the dog walkers. It was quiet to start with. Just two Greylags about, no Canada, which was a bit odd. Plenty of Coots about and two Tufted Ducks. Then I spotted a Common Sandpiper, which I have had before in migration at the park. It allowed quite close approximation.

Then, by the middle island, there was a mixed flock of tits with at least some leaf warblers flitting about. A Willow Warbler sung weakly, a Chiffchaff joined it. I saw a bird chasing a warbler that made me think of a Spotted Flycatcher, could it be? I was amazed to see that it was. The bird was very unsettled, as it was very aggressive to the warblers and chased any landing near it. It was very busy, I couldn't really count how many willow warblers and chiffchaffs there were on a group of birches, but probably about a dozen in total. After quite a long wait, I managed some shots (top shot). This was my first Spotted Flycatcher in Hull. This used to be a summer migrant breeding across the city in parks and large garderns, but not any more, so it was very nice to see it at the park.

Willow Warbler.

Spotted Flycatcher

Willow Warbler.

Green-veined White.

Nice to see the Mute Swan pair has managed to raise six cygnets, after they lost the whole brood last year because of bird flu.

Hayburn Wyke and Ravenscar

I was very keen to return to Hayburn Wyke after last years visit with Hull Nats, so I got a lift to join a trip by the Fern Group today. The weather forecast was changeable for the weekend, with rain and thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon. We were lucky the weather held on and we enjoyed a pleasant temperature, barely any wind and plenty of sunshine. It was lucky, as my main aim for the day was to record Dark Bush crickets and I had taken the bat detector to check for calling males.

Kite-tailed Robber-fly on the car park.

First, we took the path down the ravine. The ferns look magnificent, much larger than the sizes we are used to. Soft Shield Ferns are plentiful, as are Hard Fern. We saw some Lady Ferns too. We didn't come all the way down to the beach, just to the view point near the wooden bridge at the end of the trail. We were supposed to be following a trail along the beck, but somehow we lost it and it was like being in a ferny and boggy jungle. Anyhow, it was a great adventure going 'off piste' within the wood. Hayburn Wyke wood feels like a temperate rainforest. 

Lady Fern.

Soft shield fern.

The path to the beach.

The first viewpoint to the little cove.

A racing pigeon had decided to spend the day at the beach, enjoying the sunshine.

Devil's-bit Scabious with Common Carder Bee.

Spot the Slow Worm.

View of the head.

Slow Worm.

Sericomya silentis, the Bog Hoverfly, a lovely, large hoverfly typical of moorland and woodland clearings.

Female Dark bush-cricket. Three were basking near each other at the base of a south-facing hedge, where males were also calling. On a different field after lunch, also from a hedge, I picked two male calling. It appears the Hayburn Wyke population is doing quite well.

The beck.

Our lunch spot.

Leopard slug.

Ferdinandea cuprea. An uncommon woodland hoverfly. 

After the adventure in the woods, we decided to pop to Ravenscar to enjoy the view and have an icecream. I switched on the bat detector, hoping for Dark bush crickets, but, surprisingly, I picked a Long-winged Conehead calling, which I couldn't locate, in the field just by the car park (below). After a walk to the fantastic viewpoint towards Robin-hood's Bay down the hill (top shot), we returned to the car, but Roland immediately spotted the calling conehead when I pointed the area where it was calling! I check at home and this is the second most northerly record of Long-winged Conehead, and only the second from VC-62.

Conehead field.

Long-winged Conehead.

Common Green Grasshopper.