Urban birding at Hull: A walk to East Park in January

A morning walk to East Park to get my local big year really started.  I crossed the River Hull by Wilmington Bridge, then walked along Stoneferry road and joined the cycle track north to Rockford fields. A Song thrush sung, my first this year, and a female Bullfinch was on a hedge on the side of the track. 

A crow preened its partner.

Rockford Fields.

There was some ice on the boating lake and I checked the gull's legs. Two ringed Black-headed gulls: white J0566 1st year from Oslo, Norway 1st sighting, and black P700 from Lithuania, seen last year in the same place. A range of wildfowl with 5 drake Pochard, Gadwall, 12 Goosanders, & shy female Shoveler, but no sign of R-C Pochard. Ten species added to year list.

P700 from Lithuania.

J0566 1st year from Oslo, Norway 1st sighting outside Norway.

Song Thrush singing by playground.

The Crows anxious calls alerted me to a passing Buzzard.

Cormorant at usual spot.

I counted 12 Goosanders. Six were resting by one of the islands.

Gadwall, likely the same individual than last year. Looking more confident around people.

Not the case with this female Shoveler, who stuck to the willows.

The family of six Mute Swans resting on the shore. Another pair was also present.

Coot tidying nest.

A pair of Black-headed Gulls courting.

A very white distant Black-headed Gull that I couldn't refind later.

Five drake Pochards were present, first asleep, then one of them got closer to the boating area.

A flock of Greenfinches at Rockford Fields on the way back.

12 Redshank on the roost on the way back.

This is the 5-km radius area I will try and cover in my local big year 2022. It includes most of Hull west of Holderness drain.