Thursday, 7 May 2020

Urban birding at Hull: Signs of breeding in the General Cemetery

I had only a short morning walk today before work, to the local Hull General Cemetery. Bird breeding season is well under way and I paid special attention to signs indicating breeding in the cemetery birds. Territorial behaviour was well in evidence, with Blackcap, Robin and Wrens very vocal. More subdued songs were also evident, with a Treecreeper and a Goldcrest in song, joined by a Chiffchaff in the centre of the cemetery.
Mobbing is a sign of breeding, and a pair of Mistle Thrushes were in full swing with their rattling call when a Magpie was nearby.
I heard a Chaffinch singing, it sounded a bit distant, then realised it was just above me, and when I took it's photo saw that it had his mouth full of insects. I'm amazed it managed to sing Still had to sing a few times! He may be feeding an incubating female.
A male Blackbird carrying worms for his chicks. 
This Blackcap interrupted his singing to have a look.
There are two or three pairs of Mistle Thrushes breeding in the cemetery. They become very noisy and aggressive to corvids or sparrowhawks near their nests.
A young fledged Blackbird looking for food.
Robin.
Singing Stock Dove.
I only noticed an elm when the ground was littered with the clusters of their green winged seeds, called samaras. These are much loved by pigeons and finches. Here, a Goldfinch feeds on them, and the culprit of the samara clusters on the ground was a Grey Squirrel dropping them.
Bird list

  1. Blackbird
  2. Blackcap
  3. Blue Tit
  4. Chaffinch
  5. Chiffchaff 
  6. Collared Dove
  7. Dunnock 
  8. Feral Pigeon
  9. Goldcrest 
  10. Goldfinch
  11. Great Tit
  12. Herring Gull
  13. House Sparrow 
  14. Lesser Black-backed Gull
  15. Magpie
  16. Mistle Thrush
  17. Robin
  18. Starling 
  19. Stock Dove
  20. Treecreeper
  21. Woodpigeon
  22. Wren

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