Wilberforce Wood, Foredyke Green and Noddle Hill

A gloomy day with a light, but cold breeze, I catch a bus to Kignswood. I potter around the car park, where a male Pied Wagtail sings and feeds. I walk towards Midmeredales. The path is very muddy and flooded and at some point by a ditch, the water is too deep for wellies, so I have to turn round and walk along Kesteven Way, popping into the woods by the entrances. A flock of 40+ Siskins feeds on Alders by the temporary pond, while Goldfinches nearby are on the Teasels and Burdocks. It is being an irruption year for Siskins, they are everywhere and I find some in every outing, they favour both Italian Alder, widely planted along avenues in the city, and Common Alder in more seminatural scrub. 

The woodland is waterlogged or flooded. It was planted in the turn of the Millennium, I participated in a planting session around December 2008, where there were few trees. 

Running, singing and feeding Pied Wagtail.

Siskins.

Siskin.

The flooded young woodland.

Temporary pond

Foredyke Green Pond, most of the perimeter path is flooded. 

A dog walker tells me of a sighting of a Mink hunting a rabbit before Asda was built and how many nights, as he checks his front garden, a Barn Owl flies by, and turns its head to look at him as if saying good night.

A pair of Mallards were the only birds of note at Foredyke Green Pond.

Rabbit field

A lone Goosander at Noddle Hill fishing pond.

I walk up the Foredyke Stream. A mixed flock of gulls with some Lesser Black-backed Gulls are in the floods, but no Lapwings today. A Marsh Harried flies over quite low and I lose it quickly. I walk around the pumping station, the area has been flooded, but is now passable. At the top feeders, no evidence of Tree Sparrows or Yellowhammers, but I flush a Kingfisher at the Holderness Drain. I have my lunch by the pond feeders. Great Tits, Blue Tits, Dunnocks, Long Tailed Tits and a Robin keep me company. As I leave, I hear and see some Siskins on the Alders by the pond. They are indeed everywhere!

A Badger sculpture at the Foredyke Green.

Urban birding at Hull: Spring Bank and Anlaby Road

Today I walked through the General Cemetery, West Park, then Anlaby Rd going west and returned by a green cycle lane between Anlaby Rd and Spring Bank West.

Goldfinch on Headstone.

A Cormorant flying over the cemetery made it to the lockdown bird list.

 A Mistle Thrush in the cemetery was nest lining, carrying a large amount of material in its bill.

 The cycle lane was a new route for me and it was leafy and noisy with House Sparrows, Wrens and a pair of nervous Robins ticking, maybe with young about to fledge. What had already fledged was a Blackbird. Blackbird fledgling calls are very distinctive and I found it on a alder tree (top shot).

 At the end of the cycle lane, by Spring Bank West I had an unexpected surprise.

A little wild gem, bounded by the railway line with its scrubby hedges, including a pond which is part of a flood defence scheme. If it holds water, would be a great spot for dragonflies. Sadly dry today. A male Orange Tip busily flew past a couple of times. Two Linnets over, the male later singing.

I returned via Spring Bank West and the cemetery. To finish, a note of how adaptable Feral Pigeons are: they have really taken to using solar panels for nesting, the gap between the panel and the roof tiles providing them all the space and shelter they need.

Bird list

1. Blackbird
2. Blackcap
3. Blue Tit
4. Carrion Crow
5. Chaffinch
6. Chiffchaff
7. Collared Dove
8. Cormorant
9. Dunnock
10. Feral Pigeon
11. Godlfinch
12. Great Tit
13. Greenfinch
14. Greylag Goose
15. Herring Gull
16. House Sparrow
17. Lesser Black-backed gull
18. Linnet
19. Magpie
20. Mistle Thrush
21. Robin
22. Song Thrush
23. Starling
24. Stock Dove
25. Woodpigeon
26. Wren

February floods at Pearson Park

Pearson Park at Hull is my local birding patch. I make a point of walking around the park on my way to work and I regularly visit it on weekends. I also do the BTO Wetland Bird Survey, which involves a monthly visit and a census of all wetland birds in and around the pond. I don't often blog about visiting it, but last autumn and this winter it has been very, very rainy and the park is pretty flooded, with large expanses of water on the grassy areas, it somehow has departed from normality.  This winter has been also unusually mild, before the new year there was a couple of days when the pond froze, but that's it. On top of this, the park is undergoing a refurbishment, and there is resurfacing going about on paths and around the pond plus the renovation of the conservatory, a new music stands and kerb works. There is a lot of heavy machinery around, and a fair amount of drilling, sometimes at several places at the same time. I was worried that these would cause some serious impact on the birds of the park, especially the wetland birds, as the pond is surrounded by works.
Despite the chaos I've been surprised by how the birds have really taking it on their stride. The pools formed by the rain actually have offered them a safe haven from dogs and people. Geese are spending a lot of time by the pools, and have abandoned the pond. Gulls have also relocated there, and have been enjoying the worm bonanza. There has been a regular Grey Wagtail about in the last week and even a Pied Wagtail which is a rarity in the park. Black-headed Gulls, which are rare in the park, are feeding amongst the common gulls, particularly enjoying the pools.
  This is just a selection of some of the birds I've been photographing in the park during February.

The Feral Pigeons dutifully eating the grass seed spread by the new kerbs.

with some help from these Woodpigeons.

A group of gulls loafing with a dog chasing a ball on the background. I love this shot that shows how parks can be multi-use. Gulls payed little attention to the dog going back and forth.

A 150+ strong flock of Pink-footed Geese flies over on Valentine Day.

The Geese are now all split into couples that avoid getting near each other, and easily get into squabbles, unlike the peaceful winter flock.

Greylag pair.

On the 17th February, two Redwings were at the park.

Grey Squirrel enjoying a conker from its hoard.

Great Tit singing near the pond.

This Treecreeper froze when a heavy vehicle passed behind the tree. It is the usual response of an alarmed treecreeper, momentarily becoming a small tree stump.

One of the couple of dozen black-headed gulls that have been feeding on the flooded grass.

Grey Wagtail feeding by a pool.

Spot the Pied Wagtail with a Common Gull.

An assortment of Herring and Common gulls looking for worms. 

Stock Dove.

A Song Thrush male has been singing for a couple of weeks. This one just swallow a large earthworm.

Male Chaffinch on the ground. The camouflage of chaffinches on dry leaves is amazing.

The lake island has been repaired with willow branches to support the soil and some grass planted. The Moorhens have given it a seal of approval.

Another view of one of the pools.

Three large trees have fallen over in the winter storms. This one has provided dead wood, which hopefully will be left on the ground. I was excited to see that the smaller branches are lining the wet woodland paths and making a small dry hedge. Good use of the wood for new habitats.

There has been some tree planting around the park and there will be more planting to come. I look forward to the park being quiet again, but it has been interesting to see the flexibility of the birds responding to the refurbishment.

Alkborough in flood

Spring tides and the high river Trent has meant that Alkborough Flats have flooded. Many of the field had water and some of the paths are only passable with wellies. It was a sunny morning, but with a chilly breeze. On arrival at the bottom car park a Cetti's singing, then a Chiffchaff. I had three Cetti's singing across the site during my walk today. I walked to the main hide. A pinging male Bearded tit gave me some brief views amongst the reeds, but it was my first this year. In the distance, a large flock of Black-tailed Godwits.

82 Black-tailed Godwits

 As I approached the hide I could hear the Avocets. There were well over 150, very active and quarrelsome amongst themselves.

In their usual spot at the back there was a pair of Pintail upending.

Many mallard on site, more that I've ever seen. As I was preparing to leave a Water Rail made an appearance in the clearing between the reeds, shortly followed by another.

Water Rail, amongst the greening reeds.

 I decided to do a circular walk by the Trent. There was an aggressive Mute Swan chasing any Greylag that dared landing on its patch. The coots were left alone. Two pairs of Little Grebes called from the reeds.

One of the entrances of what appears to be a Badger sett on the sea wall.

The view from the Trent, upstream. A wooded cliff by the river on the background.

Black-tailed godwits on breeding plumage on flooded field.

A Jay watching from a large tree. The mixed habitats of old trees by the wetlands means you can watch a Jay while hearing a Cetti's singing.

I returned to the main hide and had my lunch there. Marsh Harriers passes flushed the waders regularly. Buzzards, three at some point, were also soaring over the reserve.

Some quarrelling Avocets.

As I was taking my wellies off by the car I heard a swallow alarm call, and looking up, there it was, perched on a wire by the sewage works, my first Swallow of the year. I took a couple of quick photos and it took off, flying high and then north.