River Hull. Stage 12. The straightened Hull, New Cut to Emmotland

An overcast, windy day, with brief sunny spells, I headed to Hempholme for a new stage of the river. As I crossed Bethell's bridge, the first road bridge since Hull Bridge, it started raining. The clouds moved fast and I waited the shower in the parking lot in the car. Today's circuit involved going down river from Bethel Bridge, turning right on Scurf Dike to join the old course of the river Hull and back up from Hempholme Lock. This section of the river Hull is under Driffields Navigation and was straightened in the early 1800s between Hempholme Lock and Bethell's Bridge, bypassing in 1km the meandering old course of the river Hull. As I looked over a small ditch of transparent water by Scurf Dike, a Kingfisher darted away as a blue lightning strike. Scurf Dike is directly connected to the river, and a small brick footbridge of a single arch crosses it. It's got abundant emergent vegetation and water plants. There are woods at both sides of the dike. A Garden Warbler sung from a bush at the other side of the dike. Large carp could be seen swimming through the water. A brief sunny spell brought a few insects out.
 The old course of the river is now an overgrown deep and narrow creek carrying a trickle of water, and the public footpath around the southern section of it appears to have been only trodden by roe deer in recent times. I managed to avoid the nettles and trundled on, briefly stopping to watch a Buzzard being mobbed by a Carrion Crow. I was relieved to finally get to the wooden footbridge over Beverley and Barmston Drain just north of Tophill Low nature reserve.
 I joined the start of the stage at the lock and weir and crossed to the other side of the river to hace a closer look. Swallows, Sand Martins, House Martins and Swifts flew over the river. It didn't take long to walk the mowed footpath by the New Cut and then to Emmotland. In Emmotland Junction the river joins Frodingham Beck and there is a metal footbridge over it, and the footpath continues along Frodingham Beck. I must inadvertently flushed a female Goosander from the river, which was a nice surprise. She flew up in a circle and then south. The next stretch of river up to Corpslanding does not have a public right of access. I crossed the footbridge and continued for a little while alongside Frodingham Beck on an overgrown path and then returned to Bethell's bridge for a spot of lunch. 

Part of the New Cut, the straight navigable section of the river Hull, looking south from Bethell's Bridge just after a shower. 

Mute Swans by the bridge.

Tree Sparrow chirping. They are quite numerous around Bethell's bridge.

Boat Moorings with Bethell's bridge on the background.

The beautiful Scurf Dike.

Footbridge over Scurf Dike.

Singing willow Warbler. 

Mayfly by Scurf Dike. 

Two Roe Deer resting on a grassy ride. 

Scurf Dike. 

Old course of the River Hull near Bethell's bridge.

Small Tortoiseshell Caterpillars. 

Azure Damselfly. 

Buzzard.

Sedge Warbler by the old course of the River Hull.

The wooden footbridge over Beverley and Barmston Drain.

Hempholme Lock. 

Weir from the East bank.

A group of Mute Swans fed on the clear water of the river upstream of Bethell's bridge. 

Emmotland Junction and Footbridge.

Looking down onto the river Hull upstream from Emmotland. The plant is Potamogeton crispus I believe.

Looking upstream from Emmotland Junction. The River Hull on the left.

River Hull. Stage 8. Swinemoor

A beautiful afternoon with a light breeze and cottony clouds, I headed to the second of the Beverley Commons that adjoin the river Hull: Swinemoor. Swinemoor, which occupies an area of about 119 ha, sits between the SE of Beverley and the River Hull. It is a flat expanse of pastures prone to flooding, with some flooded scrapes and lines of overgrown hedgerows and occasional trees. It is crossed by the Beverley and Barmston drain. I walked by the drain to reach the beginning of the river stage proper, on the west side of the river, just opposite of where I left it the last stage.
 The sunny, warm weather brought butterflies out. Three Peacocks fluttered up and down circling each other for a long while at the north side of the common and Small Tortoiseshells were plentiful and very active too. I also had my first Holly Blue of the year and a male Orange Tip.
 The cattle and horses have been allowed on the common in the last few days (top shot).
Swinemoor is well known for its bird diversity. Today, hirundines, including Sand Martins, House Martins and Swallows were busy feeding over the river. Both Swallows and Sand Martins appeared established, as some were collecting mud by the shore of the drain. Several pairs of Lapwing seem to be breeding, with some occasional skirmishes with the local Carrion Crows. A Meadow Pipit sung. Snipe are known to breed in the common, but it was an early visit in the season and in the day, for them to be drumming. Other than the breeding birds, Swinemoor is known as a migration hotspot in the area. I repeatedly searched for Yellow Wagtails, with no luck, although Pied Wagtails were plentiful, with at least two pairs. One highlight was a flock of about 10 Whimbrel, which landed near the drain and started feeding for a while on the pasture. In addition to a Redshank, two Ruffs fed on one of the scrapes. Overall, I listed 42 bird species in today's stage. A telescope would have been very useful, as the pools are distant from the paths and it is unadvisable to approach the pools to avoid disturbance to ground breeding birds.
I finished the stage by near the pedestrian bridge parallel to Hull Bridge.

The pedestrian bridge at Tickton.

Holly Blue butterfly. 

Cattle and horses at the common. 

Swallow and House Martin picking mud for nesting.

A young Grey Heron fishing by the drain.

The wide expanses of the common. From the drain, looking East. 

Lapwing by scrape. 

The Yellow Dung flies waste no time as soon cowpats are available. 

A speedboat went past. 

A bend of the river shows the reedbed fringing its East margin.

Whimbrel. One of of a flock than landed and started feeding near the drain.

Ruff. 

One of the pools and the bridge over the drain on the background.  

From this patch of reedbed came the scratchy, repetitive song of a Reed Bunting, the first of the year for me. 

View of the river from the pedestrial bridge 

View of Hull Bridge over the river Hull. 

An alderfly by the drain.

More information
An entry at Birdnerd with information on the common. Here.

Check the Google maps in the blog for the routes involved in each stage.

Up the River Hull. 6. Figham Common

A mild, sunny afternoon, I started today's stage in Woodmansey, where a public footpath joins the southern end of Figham Common. The river bends west, hugging the old common land laying on the SE of Beverley. Historically, the common has been very low laying, waterlogged ground despite repeated draining attempts since medieval times. Today three large drains cross it, but only the western side of the common, which is drier, is suitable as pasture land, while the eastern side by the river is marshy, with rushes and temporary pools or boggy terrain all year round. There are quite a few scattered trees, old willows, hawthorns and just a patch of reed bed by the river near the lock at Beverley Beck.
 As I reach the river I watch a tractor tilling a field on the other bank followed by a retinue of birds: Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Common gulls, Woodpigeons, Stock Doves, a few Lapwing and two Oystercatchers. A Skylark sings above.
In the middle of a field further ahead, two Grey Herons sit still like scarecrows, and two Hares further away feed on the grass. A pair of Greylag dozes on the bank opposite.
I make the walk into a circular route, returning by the Beverley and Barmston Drain towards Woodmansey after reaching the lock at Beverley Beck. You can see the route in the Wild at Hull map on the right.

Entrance to the common from Woodmansey.

As I enter the common a Small Tortoiseshell flutters and settles on the grass. Later, a peacock flies by.

Pool.

Two Little Egrets fly over the river. 

Female Kestrel. 

Beverley and Barmston Drain, from Figham Bridge. 

Tractor followed by birds. 

View of the river, looking downstream from the S end of Figham. 

Waterlogged ground and trees. Blackthorn in bloom.

Old elder (a bit redundant wording!)

View of the common from the river bank.

River, bank and common. 

Arriving at the lock of Beverley Beck. 

Beverley Beck lock.

A pair of swans on the drain.

More Information
Archaeological Survey of Figham common. here.
Information on the birds of Figham Common. here.