Urban birding at Hull: Sculcoates week 39 It feels like autumn

A sunny, breezy morning at Sculcoates. There is an autumnal feeling this week, after yesterday's rain and colder weather. I do the usual round walk. At the North Sculcoates Cemetery, a blackbird is looking quite scruffy, still heavily moulting its head feathers. A Chiffchaff sings weakly. The Guelder Rose's berries (top shot) are looking their best. I meet David L. He's now cut the paths and the meadows on both north and south cemeteries.

Moulting Blackbird.

Eristalis pertinax.

The sunny spells bring out enough butterflies for a butterfly list: Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small White and Large White.

Speckled Wood

Large White.

Red Admiral.

And the usual pair of late dragonflies: Migrant Hawker and Common darter, basking near a large ivy in the N cemetery and in a clearing in the south one. Despite searching, I see no Willow Emeralds. By the cycle track, I flush a Grey Wagtail, which is not a common bird in the patch.

Migrant Hawker.

Female Common Darter basking.

Male Common Darter basking.

I'm pleased to find a fern: Wall rue, Asplenium ruta-muraria.

Things are quiet in the river. It is high tide, and rising with the water are large fragments of sea wrack from the estuary. There are few gulls today, and no Lesser Black-backed gulls.

Fucus sp. ascending the river with the tide.

I return via Pearson Park. 

A Volucella zonaria basks in the East Lodge garden 

A Grey Wagtail, back since last week, it was feeding by the puddle around the rose garden.

and a Red Admiral feeds on a Rudbeckia flower in the new planting by the music stand.

Some not so welcome inhabitants in the park are Brown Rats. I stood still and these two sat for a while by the water in the pond.

Brown Rats.

Tophill Low September Rain

I drove to Tophill Low with a light rain. As I arrived, the rain became torrential, I felt like I was in a carwash. I waited for a while under the shelter of the visitor centre. The rain eventually eased and then stopped completely, and the rest of the day was breezy and cold, but with welcome sunny spells. 

I stopped by D-res first. There were many Great-crested Grebes, and a stunning juvenile Red-necked Grebe, which remained near the wall, and occasionally too close for views as it fed at its base.

I also saw a duck that I haven't seen since 1997.

In the sunny spells, dragonflies became active. There were many Common Darters about, and good numbers of Migrant Hawkers. Just before I left, on the visitor centre pond, a Male Southern Hawkers stopped to bask. 

Migrant Hawker.

Common Darter.

Southern Hawker.

This handsome Noon Fly, Mesembrina meridiana, allowed me to get very close, probably due to the cool temperature today

I went to Watton, but it was very windy in the hide. At South Marsh, the Pectoral Sandpiper was about, a lifer! It was very active, crossing the water between the islands gingerly. At some point it crouched down by a Teal. Unclear why, but it might have spotted two Buzzards gliding on the wind above the marsh. It was feeding on stop with Teal, Pied Wagtail and a Common Sandpiper. There were 26 Curlew on the islands, some become very vocal and left.

Pectoral Sandpiper and Pied Wagtail.

This Black-tailed Godwit had an injured wing.

Drake Shoveler in eclipse.

A walk to Oak Road and the River Hull

An autumnal, warm, and breezy day with a hazy sun, I head to Oak Road, via Pearson Park, Beverley Road and Beresford Avenue. I make a stop on the Beverley and Barmston Drain at Bereford Avenue to check on the Willow Emeralds. 

Beverley and Barmston Drain

Migrant Hawkers are patrolling the drain, with males squabbling on the edges of territories. The trills of a pair of Little Grebes, a duet reminiscent of a laugh alerts me of their presence. There are Willow Emeralds, but not easy to photograph. I see two individuals in the air, a pair mating and briefly settling. I only take a photo of one, sitting by a Comma.

Little Grebe.

Willow Emerald and Comma.

A male Southern Hawker settles on the bankside vegetation. I'm so glad they are still around, what stunning dragonflies they are.

Male Southern Hawker.

Male Southern Hawker.

Male Southern Hawker.

Oak Road Lake.

I move to Oak Road Lake. In the first fishing platform, a Migrant Hawker is patrolling. A male Common Darter basks on the boards.

Migrant Hawker. 

Common Darter.

I move to the next platform. There is an Alder by the water and I scan its branches. There is a Willow Emerald male!

Willow Emerald Male.

Oak Road Lake seems ideal habitat for them, there are Willows and Alders with branches over water, I was hoping to add them to the site list. I stay for a while, watching the Alder. Shiny metallic blue beetles appear to be feeding on the leaves, they are Alder Leaf Beetles. The species has recently expanded through the UK, it's the first time I see them in Hull.

Alder leaf beetle, Agelastica alni.

There is a small shieldbug too, a parent bug, Elasmucha grisea.

In the braches of a Willow, there are large clusters of Giant Willow Aphid

Then, I scan the branches of the alder. I find some paralell scars on branches over the water, they are the gall-like oviposition scars of Willow Emeralds. I don't know how old they would be, possibly indicate breeding last year?

Willow Emerald oviposition scars.

I walk around the lake. A Migrant Hawker gets an insect over the path. It is processing as it flies and I follow it around. At some point it appears to drop a wing. As I approach to search, it is a Vapourer male, or better, Vapourer minus abdomen. The insect is still alive and I have to pin down a wing to my notebook to take a photo.

Vapourer prey of Migrant Hawker.

On the lake, there are five Tufted Ducks, Coots, Mallard and Moorhen. Only one young remains of the Mute Swan brood, but the rest might have fledged the area.

Tufted Ducks.

Mute Swan young and cob.

I move onto the river (top shot). The tide is flowing. I flush a Little Egret and it flies and settles ahead on the river. I get closer, this time more carefully. It's already feeding on the shore, apparently with some success. Two Mallard pass by. This is the first time I see a Little Egret on the urban River Hull.

Time to head back. A very scruffy young crow walks in the car park.