Pickering Park and Costello Playing Fields

I had wanted to visit Pickering Park for a while, knowing that it's a favouring haunt of Goosanders in the winter, and hearing that they were about, I went this morning. I stopped first at Costello Playing fields, which also has a lake. The lake is relatively small, but there are some stone walls around it that make perfect screens to watch the wildfowl. A sleepy female Goosander floated in the middle of it, it took me a while to get a shot in which she had her eyes open. A Great Tit stopped singing and shrieked a loud trilling call: a Sparrowhawk flew past spooking starlings, feral pigeons and black-headed gulls.
 I moved onto Pickering Park. It has a very similar feel to East Park: large grassy expanses ideal for loafing gulls and grazing geese, a section with conifers and large mature trees all around. There is an aviary, which looked abandoned. I walked around the perimeter of the park and by the lake, which has some islands. Overall 33 species for the day.

A Magpie making the best of the winter sun.

Female Goosander

Tufted duck stretching.

One of two Mistle Thrushes near the lake.

The male of the pair of swans, with yellow ring 841. UPDATE: I reported the ring and received this back from Dan Sidley, from Yorkshire Swan & Wildlife Rescue Hospital: W38541/841 - 08.09.14 - Male Mute Swan of Pair - Pen ringed Yellow 842 - Pickering Park, Hull.

The pair of Mute Swans, the female is of the Polish variety, with pale feet.

A portrait of the male.

There were at least 3 Goosanders in Pickering Park, 2 males and 1 female. I didn't get too close as I didn't want to spook them.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker from atop a poplar.

Carrion Crow

Robin