River Hull WeBS count July 2022

It's Wetland Bird Survey weekend, but we also have a heat wave starting tomorrow, so to make the best of the cooler day and an earlier tide I head to the old town to do my River Hull count. On the way I have time to pop to Wilmington Bridge. 

A single Redshank, sitting on their usual roost spot. This suggests a returned bird rather than a passage one.

I take a short detour by Fountain Road to check the Swallows and spot one resting on an aerial.

Finally, I get to Scott Street Bridge, where I'm surprised to see an artist painting the industrial landscape of the river. We have a chat before I start the count proper. It is the first time I see anyone on the bridge since the Banksy appeared!

New Blackbird fledgling.

There are small numbers of Black-headed Gulls on the river. I check the docks of High Street. A lone Mallard duckling on the future Arctic Corsair dock climbs out of the water and stands on a floating piece of wood.

Nearby, a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls are anxiously calling. I spot a chick on a chimney pot. One of them lands by the chick while the other dive-bombs me, flying straight towards me and changing direction in the last minute. They don't like their chicks photographed! There must be hundreds of people walking down the street, but they appear very sensitive to gaze and attention to their nest or chick. I hope they don't remember me next time although I fear they will.

The chick exploring it's surroundings.

Lesser Black-backed Gull chick.

At Drypool bridge I see a resident Swallow, there are now areas of brownfield land, sweet smelling with flowering buddleja and allotments in the neighbourhood which probably provide enough insects to sustain breeding in this urban location.

From Drypool Bridge I can see the location of the Redshank roost, unexpectedly, all 14 Redshank, a usual winter number, are back!

The second Mallard brood of the day, out and about on the river.

I had never noticed these liveworts, growing on cracks between pavement stones near the tidal barrier.

Well, I wasn't expecting a Curlew either. This one was by The Deep.

I notice an aerial atop The Deep and I wonder if it is the Motus receiver, which is quite exciting!

One of the Puffins from the Puffin Galore exhibition, this one is my favourite!

It was a very high tide this morning, 7.84m, and there was no land exposed at half-tide basin. A few Black-headed Gulls, including a begging juvenile.

Black-headed Gull with juvenile.

Juvenile and adult Goldfinch.

At Victoria Dock park this Woodpigeon was repeatedly chasing and attacking a Carrion Crow.

Speckled Wood on Elm.

A walk to Snuff Mill Lane via Setting Dyke and Children's Wood

 I had an impromptu walk to Snuff Mill Lane this morning to try and see the local hairstreaks. Both White-letter and Purple Hairstreak have been recorded in recent weeks in a short stretch of the lane, so I thought I would give them a try. 

The weather was cloudy, but very warm, and there were a surprising number of active butterflies on the way so I did several lists. It was nice for a change to have the skippers roosting on flowers or grass stems, which allows for much faster checking. No Essex Skippers today.

View of the Setting Dyke path.

The Setting Dyke was running very low, with the level the lowest I've seen. Has it been dry before?

A family of ducks had to walk on the ballast under the train line.

Young Robing having a bath on the dyke.

And a watchful Robin nearby.

The nettles at the sides of the dike were covered on Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars. A wasp came over and grabbed one

Young Dunnock with a moth.

Young Greenfinch.

Gatekeeper.

Nursery Web spider guarding her nursery.

'Children's Wood' is another 'railway triangle' a woodland with the Scarborough line on the west, the Setting Dyke on the south, and the houses off Cropton road on the east.

The entrance to Children's wood

A path through the woods.

As you emerge on the north side of the wood, there is a cycle path parallel to the railway line. There is a strip of semi-natural vegetation and large trees where many Ringlets and Green-Veined Whites were active. Finally, at the end of the path, on the boundary of the city, the path disappears amongst a wilderness, the first field of the area I know as Snuff Mill Ln fields. This particular field is flooded in the winter, and the path is overgrown with brambles and nettles. I know it is not long to a rise and clear path, and I persevere.

A large stand of Meadow Sweet

Gatekeeper.

This Holly Blue was collecting salts by the edge of the Priory Cemetery pond.

The railway pond is bone dry.

Nice to see a Reed Bunting singing from tree at Snuff Mill main field.

Main field.

Another calm Small Skipper.

I saw this ladybird, although it has 7 spots it looks too long for a 7spot, resembles more an 11 spot

I finally get to the railway line and have a long look for White-letter Hairstreaks on the elm just west of the line. No movement other than bees. Helpfully, a Speckled Wood patrols the tree up and down, I wonder if it would have enticed a WLH to chase it, but no luck.

Speckled Wood.

Elm leaves.

I see my 1st pristine new generation Peacock, but too fast for photos. On the way back I check the oak that holds the Purple Hairstreak population. I am not very optimistic, but two silvery tiny butterflies fly around the branches, Purple Hairstreaks! I lose track of them and no photos for me, but still a nice sighting for the day.

Noddle Hill, Midmeredales and Foredyke Green in July

 I took the bus to Kingswood Asda and started my walk there. A very hot sunny day, I felt a trip to Foredyke Green Pond and Noddle Hill to do dragonfly surveys was overdue. First, I walked through Wilberforce Wood/Midmeredales area. The woodland felt lovely and cool, and the rides and grassland were teeming with butterflies. 

Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and a Whitethroat sung. I was slowed down by checking Small Skippers, but there were no surprises today.

Speckled Wood.

Small Skipper on Creeping Thistle.

Small Skipper on Great Knapweed. There were several patches of this plant, combined with Lady's Bedstraw.

Small Skipper and Leafcutter on thistle.

A ride as it crosses a ditch.

Meadow Brown.

The Midmeredales pond had low water levels in early June but now it was completely dry.

Foredyke Green Pond

I anticipated visiting the Foredyke Green pond. I've had some wonderful sightings there, what would expect me today? There!

A Broad-bodied Chaser male! just when I thought I had missed them for the year! The pristine male was mostly sitting on the rushes and avoiding the resident Emperor. The effect of its very reflective pruinosity made it look like a beacon when it flew, favouring the side of the pond with short rushes. The pond today had a lot of Potamogeton cover. A Brown Hawker was also patrolling.

Damselflies included Blue-tailed Damselfly, with several colour morphs and a mating pair. There were also ovipositing Azure Damselfly.

Azure Damselfly.

Mating Blue-tailed Damselflies. Note the female is the androchrome form that has the same colours as male.

Common Darter, the only one I saw today.

The violacea form of female Blue-tailed Damselfly, stunning!

Male Ruddy Darter.

A Willow emerald flew around the apple tree over the bench, I had a clear look at the body proportions and colour, there was no mistaken it! Unfortunately it flew right under and inside the tree disappearing from view. They have been very early everywhere this year.

Brimstone.

Noddle Hill LNR
I had planned originally to walk along the Foredyke Stream to the pumping station, but the path hadn't been mowed and it has hard going with the heat now draining my energy quite fast, so half-way through I moved into the reserve. On the way I flushed a number of Brown Hawkers from the streamside vegetation. Birds were quite subdued, possibly due to the heat and the fact that is wasn't very early, so I headed for the lake and pond-dipping pond to check for dragonflies.

The main character of the day were Black-tailed Skimmers, males on their fishing platforms and marginal vegetation, with much chasing.

The number 14 Black-tailed Skimmer.

Female Black-tailed Skimmer egg-laying.

The distinctive egg sacs of Tetragnatha spiders.

A record shot of a pair of Black-tailed Skimmers mating, subsequently, the females started laying.

After checking the lake shores for a while I moved onto the ditch that is the best for Emerald in the whole of Hull. Water levels were very low, I had to walk though the reeds for a couple of meters, but I was rapidly rewarded by a male Emerald Damselfly, which darted to chase another male and then both disappeared from view. Two Ruddy Darters were also by the ditch.

Male Emerald Damselfly.

Ruddy Darter.

Most damselflies were Common Blue.

An uncooperative terrapin in the pond-dipping pond. A local told me two had been seen in this pond and one on the main lake.

I had to take a rest in the shade so I had an early lunch on the picnic tables by the feeding station. Shortly after a young Robin paid a visit and was happy to get quite close to get some walnut bits.

Young Robin.