Wild at Hull: December 2013

Monday, 2 December 2013

Foggy East Park

It was very atmospheric when I arrived in East Park today. The thick blanket of fog made photography tricky, though. In the little boating lake two female goosander preened themselves, surrounded by a raucous group of mixed gulls bathing. The rowans between the lakes were very busy with many Blackbirds, Woodpigeons and a Goldfinch feeding on berries. I spotted a Sparrowhawk sat atop a tree, which then gave a half-hearted chase to a thrush over the boating lake.
I walked around the lake and came across more Goosanders, first a pair, then a large group of 14 on the east side of the lake.
Some screeching noises mixed with black-headed gull calls called my attention. A parakeet! it flew into a garden by the park and then reappeared on a tree. I was able to approach and take some foggy photos, this was my first parakeet in Hull. A crow then came and scared it off.
While walking on the east side of the park I heard the soft 'tu-i' call of a warbler and I located a Chiffchaff on a large willow, feeding with a pair of Blue tits. I manage some shots, and then of another individual near the bridge.
No signs of the one-legged moorhen by the wooden bridge of the lake.
While trying to get closer to the Goosanders hiding behind tree trunks I saw a Treecreeper quite close to me. It crept higher in the tree, but it was behaving strangely. Then it stopped completely pretending to be a branch. A Magpie called from the same tree. Was the treecreeper trying to avoid being seen by the magpie? It stayed motionless for quite a few minutes, and I could get my best treecreeper photos ever. The Magpie flew off and the Treecreeper carried on climbing the tree.