A walk to the Half Tide Basin

 My visit to Albert Dock was frustrated by the fact that it was high tide and the gates to the dock had been kept open. Instead, I walked via the newly opened frontage to the Half-tide basin at Victoria Dock, where I had been told a Curlew and Redshank had a roost.

A sextet of Magpies on a street lamp, apparently is 'six for gold'.

Mistle Thrush.

As I walked to the Humber frontage by the river Hull I noticed that the Redshank were not in their usual roosting spot, but instead had moved to the gates of the dry dock where the Arctic Corsair is eventually going. Later, I found out that workers were checking the beams of the boardwalk by the Museums Quarter.

Nine Redshank at the dock gates.

Spot the roost.

Workmen checking the boardwalk. I can't wait for it to be reopened.

Black-headed Gulls, river Hull.

Redshank by Scale Lane Bridge, River Hull.

Curlew and redshank, river Hull.

Curlew, river Hull.

It is cloudy and cold, but not too windy. The tide is almost high, but not a very high one. I quickly get to the Half-tide Basin, and I'm pleased to spot four Redshank roosting on the shore. A Curlew is feeding on the shore too, being very efficient pulling ragworm out of the mud. One Redshank is near it, feeding too.

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Victoria Dock.

It's always entertaining to watch Curlew feeding, how they are able to extract plenty of ragworms and other morsels from the mud at quite a pace.

Eventually the Curlew stops feeding and gets ready for roosting, repeatedly shaking the leg that it will keep warm under its wing to get rid of water and mud. The Redshank and the Curlew make a nice little group.
It's nice to see how the saltmarsh in this site has been developing, colonised by plants and the mud increasingly being used by waders. I saw Oystercatcher and Bar-tailed Godwit feeding on the site last year, small birds like Goldfinches feed on the saltmarsh seeds and House Martins collect mud for their nest.