Urban birding at Hull: Sculcoates and Beverley and Barmston Drain

My morning walk took me to the closest stretch of Beverley and Barmston Drain near me, by Sculcoates lane. This has a public access path on the side, and plenty of marginal green area, due to the occurrence of a former cargo train line by the drain, which had to cross another railway line, the Hornsea line via a bridge. The elevation of the bridge is now covered in thick bramble, hawthorn and sycamore scrub, with some areas of brownfield and patches of Japanese Knotweed. Most people wouldn't find it very appealing, but Whitethroats like post-industrial scrubby brownfield places, and three males were singing, well spaced, staking out their territories. The light was soft and lovely to photograph them.

Whitethroat singing on the dry stems of Japanese knotweed.

Three pairs of Coots were on nests.

A Greylag pair appeared to be prospecting for nest sites along the drain.

As I watched them, I heard a Reed Warbler singing. There were some thin reed beds on the sides of the drain, green shoots just coming through, but the reed warbler kept mostly to the brambles behind. I only managed a record shot.

By Fountain road bridge, a pair of Swallows were in residence.
Blackcaps were singing very excitedly and this is often caused by the presence of females in territories. At least five males were singing. Just one singing Chiffchaff.

A very spotty, and very tame Dunnock, I presume a female?

Song thrush.

 As I was turning back, I heard a distant familiar song: Lesser Whitethroat! I spotted it high on a sycamore, and even got some record shots. This put a nice end of my daily walk, as I don't have a good site where I can find Lesser Whitethroats near home.

Lesser Whitethroat.

Lesser Whitethroat and Whitethroat habitat.

Bird List

1. Blackbird
2. Blackcap
3. Blue Tit
4. Carrion Crow
5. Chaffinch
6. Chiffchaff
7. Collared Dove
8. Coot
9. Dunnock
10. Feral Pigeon
11. Goldfinch
12. Great Spotted Woodpecker
13. Great Tit
14. Greenfinch
15. Greylag Goose
16. Herring Gull
17. House Sparrow
18. Lesser Black-backed Gull
19. Lesser Whitethroat
20. Long-tailed Tit 
21. Magpie
22. Mallard
23. Mistle Thrush
24. Moorhen
25. Reed Warbler
26. Robin
27. Song Thrush
28. Starling
29. Stock Dove
30. Swallow
31. Whitethroat
32. Woodpigeon
33. Wren