A walk to the Spurn Lighthouse

 

Yesterday I travelled to Spurn with family. It was expected to be cloudy all day, although, in the end, we had some wonderful sunny spells (and a couple of drizzly showers). It was an hour before high tide when we got there. We started in the Spurn Discovery Center and walked to the lighthouse and back.

The last high tides had removed large chunks of the cliffs north of the seawatch hide and flattened the vegetation. We had to walk away from the path at times as it looked close to collapse.

We went down the steps by the warren. Some lovely clumps of sea mayweed.

In the wash over, a large mixed flock of sanderling and dunlin were roosting. A small raptor, a Merlin, caused panic and flocks spiralled like starling murmurations on the Humber side. 

Eventually they settled on the spit. A Knot was with the flock and there were several Ringed Plovers about too.

From the other side of the wash over the land rises and there were great views of the estuary. The flock of Sanderling painted a white band on the spit.

The view framed by a metal post. Looking North towards the wash over.

Sea Holly.

It is on this area that we found some Sea Aster bees, feeding on rocket flowers.

This one appeared to be marking a stick.

Common Field Grasshopper.

From the Chalk Bank hide, we counted 42 Curlew roosting. There were a few terns, usual gull mix and Cormorants.

This sad and gruesome photo is just part of the contents of a drinks can that had been discarded by the path to the Chalk Bank hide. It contained dozens of carrion beetles, including Silpha tristis, Tanatophilus rugosus and Nicrophorus vespillo. Discarded drinks cans and bottles are traps for insects

We loved the wire butterfly sculpture by the lighthouse.

A sunny spell brought out more invertebrates.

Dune robberfly.

Sea Aster bee on cat's ears.

Small heath butterfly.

After the sun, a dark, ominous cloud. We were near the high tide refuge when the rain started. A Pied Flycatcher landed on the path ahead of us, a migrant on it's way back to its winter quarters.

At the car park, this trio of Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers, a female and two males.

A second walk along Victoria Dock in search of Sea Aster bees

A sunny morning, I drive to Corinthians way for a second walk along the Humber front, in search of Sea Aster bees. The tide is almost high and there are no curlews on the Humber. It's less than two weeks since my last visit but there is a very different feel. 

I have roughly mapped the location of saltmarsh with sea aster in the Humber and river Hull. Sea Aster also grows on the sea wall.

I stop by the little shingle beach to search the sea aster, which grows plentifully on one of the barges. It is buzzing with insects: butterflies, hoverflies, honeybees and a bumblebee.

Small Tortoiseshell.

Small White.

Buff-tailed bumblebee.

Dronefly eristalis.

A hoverfly to ID.

Common field grasshopper.

I move to the saltmarsh on the half-tide basin. The young Lesser black-back gull is still there, begging.

The Sea Aster is in full bloom. House Martins hunt over it.

Two young goldfinches land on the sea wall and then fly to the marsh in search of seeds.

This one feeds on Sea Plantain seeds, the other on the wall itself.

The young moorhens are resting on the plants on the dock. A Woodpigeon tries to alight on the water, probably to drink. It actually lands briefly, soakes its belly feathers and returns to a perch. A small ramp would help birds bathe and drink. There are plenty of full grown sticklebacks.

I look for, and find some clumps of tree mallow, which have survived the flood defence works, but still a bit small to flower.

The sea wall by The Deep is well vegetated.

Now I move onto the river Hull. It is high tide. I search the sea aster south of Scale Lane bridge. 

Honeybees and droneflies

The Redshank roost is in a new place today, on the ropes by the barge next to the buoy shed. I count 16.

On the way back I do a butterfly count by Myton bridge. A Holly Blue feeds on Amphibious bistort.

Blackbird sunbathing.

Small Tortoiseshell on sea aster.

One of two Migrant hawkers by The Deep.

I return and decide to do a 10 min beach clean at Corinthians way. I fill two bags, mainly of drink cans and plastic bottles. A take away container has some dead sandhoppers, they jump, but not very high, so they couldn't escape.

A drinks bottle also had a decomposing sludge made of sandhoppers. Fortunately, I don't have to take the smelly litter home as there are bins nearby. Still, no aster bees in Hull, but a lovely walk by the Humber.

Two plastic bags full of litter and a cleaner beach.

Urban birding at Hull: Sculcoates week 34

It is a sunny, warm afternoon, and I head to the Sculcoates patch hoping for a Willow Emerald Damselfly. I decide to walk up an down the drain looking for them. The bank at the other side of the path is sunny in the afternoons. I stop at Temple St brownfield and made a butterfly list. There are many grasshoppers, Lesser Marsh and Common field grasshoppers. I have a short glimpse of a Painted Lady. Common Blue, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admirals are about, the latter feeding on the buddlejas.

Lesser marsh grasshopper.

A gravid female Common Field Grasshopper.

Small Tortoiseshell.

As I get to the drain, I check the place where I saw the Willow Emerald last year, an unsurfaced path by the cycle lane, and, amazingly, I disturb one, which lands on the nettles!

Willow Emerald.

This makes 10 Odonata species on the patch this year. I check the bank opposite. There is a Hawthorn with overhanging branches over the water. A Migrant Hawker male is patrolling the area, but then I see some movement, there are some Willow Emeralds too. At least 3 individuals, two mating and a third one.

A raptor's begging call towards Wilmington bridge distracts me from the drain and I take the cycle lane towards the river. It is low tide. No Redshank, just gulls, but in the far distance there is a smaller bird: a Common Sandpiper! It spends a long time feeding on the mud, by the water line and also at the base of the defences.

I retrace my steps towards the drain. The line of poplars seems like a good place for Willow Emeralds, they have many overhanging branches. There is lots of activity, with individuals squabbling in the air. A pair lands on a branch out of sight, I move and manage to get some photos of oviposition, the first time I see it.

Ovipositing Willow emerald damselfly.

Habitat.

I carry on. I cross Sculcoates lane and look over the bridge. There, just in front of me there is another one! (top shot).