Wild at Hull: Urban River Hull: Wilmington bridge to Oak Road lake and Sculcoates week 35

Monday, 6 September 2021

Urban River Hull: Wilmington bridge to Oak Road lake and Sculcoates week 35

A walk on the Sculcoates patch and along a section of the urban river Hull, which I'm aiming to walk each season. This is the first of the September walks. I was hoping to have some passage waders, as the tide was low and the mud exposed, but none were seen. The young gulls, a mix of Herring and Lesser black backed gulls were gathered as usual on the riverbank upstream of Wilmington bridge, the start of the river walk. There is only a short section accessible. They swim, bathe or play with objects, some calling incessantly. There is often one or two adults about.

The juvenile on the foreground has a stick.

The adult walk away nonchalantly while the young one follows them begging.

Feral pigeons nesting in the beams, a squab visible on the left-hand side hole.

A Feral Pigeon drinks in the river.

Carrion Crow and Cormorant.

A Cormorant rests on a floodlamp by the river.

Plastic owl and friend Starlings.

I walk along Bankside and pop in car-parks to watch the river. The plastic owl on the aerial pylon is accompanied by a flock of starlings. The Swallows at Stoneferry bridges have some fledglings. It's hard to count, but there are at least 4, could be from one or two pairs. They rest on the wall, or the moorings. A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly passes by, a young swallow rises to it, picking it up, flies around with it in its bill, then lets it go and picks it up again, each time the butterfly flies strongly. I lose track of them, it looks like a Swallow game.

Swallow fledgling.

Clumps of sea aster on the river bank by a bend in the river. Sea Aster is plentiful in this stretch of river.

I hear a repeated 'chip!' It's a woodpecked call. They often use this call when sitting on a prominent perch. In this case a dead branch. This is the first Great Spotted Woodpecker I've seen at this location.