An August walk to Victoria Dock

A mild day with light drizzle showers, and a low tide, I head towards Victoria Dock, hoping to see some waders to add to my year list. On the way, I watch two Sparrowhawks over the city centre and another over Ha'penny bridge. The Feral Pigeons at Queen Victoria Square are enjoying the reopened fountain and are bathing enthusiastically, displaying their curious habit of exposing the underside of their wings to get it wet. There are many Lesser Black-backed fledglings begging to parents around Princes Quay, with plaintive whistles and crouched stances. At Victoria Pier, a Lesser Black-backed gull feeds on a dead woodpigeon, it is a young one, its back open.

Sparrowhawk.

Feral Pigeon bath time.

Begging Lesser Black-backed juveniles chasing a parent.

A Lesser Black-back Gull feeding on a young Woodpigeon.

A second Sparrowhawk.

Young House Martins getting ready to fledge.

Young coot chick being fed by parent.

No waders at the Half-tide basin, but many House Martins around, some in their nests almost ready to fledge. A surprise are three Mute Swans, which are feeding on the foreshore near Corinthians Way. All three have small bill knobs and one of them has brown fringes in its wings, so probably they are yearlings moulting. The limping Curlew is still there, still limping, but actively feeding.

One of the Mute Swans. 

The limping male Curlew. 

I scan the mudflats at the end of Corithians Way. The Curlew and some Black-headed Gulls are there, but no Oystercatchers. After a short spot, I turn round. A flock of Starlings feed on the exposed seaweed, turning it like Turnstones and using their open bill probing technique to hunt for invertebrates.

Starling open bill probing on seaweed.

Young pied wagtail.

I get to the Half-tide Basin. There are two juvenile Pied Wagtails now. I watch them as they chase and flutter after insects on the mud, when the House Martins start alarm calling. The wagtails immediately fly off, and I scan the sky, hoping for a raptor. A Hobby! It's flying low parallel to me, and soon it's going to fly behind the buildings, so I'm lucky to be able to take a couple of record shots. I haven't had a Hobby in Hull since 2022, and the last time was on Myton Bridge, powering towards Victoria Dock. This time of year the young House Martins are on the wing, and it must be easy pickings for Hobbies.

Hobby.

I follow the Hobby as it flies NE towards the trees by the A63. Hobby is number 96 for my Birds in Hull, so a very nice outcome for the walk.

A male Vapourer landed on the path in front of me. It appeared to be struggling against the wind, and I acted as a windbreak.