Wild at Hull: Local Nature Reserve

Wednesday, 16 February 2022

A walk to Noddle Hill LNR via Bransholme

Despite the not so pleasant weather ahead, with showers and windy weather forecast, I tackled my longest walk this year, a 20k walk to Noddle Hill LNR. I used pedestrian/cycle lanes across Wilmington and Bransholme. Braved a shower once on the reserve and didn't add any new species for #localbigyear, but had Goosander, Little Egret, Buzzard and a beautiful flock of wintering Lapwing

My first Canada Geese on the drain on the way there. The photo also illustrates the usual conditions of the drain, with a large amount of litter on the water and banks.

It was quiet when I got to the fishing lake at Noddle Hill, no fishermen or dog walkers. A Little Egret was resting on the banks, but it quickly moved on.

Little Egret in flight.

A Goosander, and later a Cormorant, were doing the fishing.

This might be the last flock of wintering Lapwing in the Hull city boundary, but how to count them? I guessed 300, but counted them individually from photo: 646! (plus stragglers). The flooded fields by the solar panels suit them, they finally settled to feed

A Buzzard was around on the northern fields.

And two Kestrels, here is the female...

...and later, when the weather improved, the male

Usual small birds on the feeders, but I saw no Reed Buntings or Linnets on the reserve. A flock of Goldfinches were feeding on Teasel...

...and alders.

After a couple of hours and a circuit of the reserve, it was time to head home. On the way there I connected with another pair of Kestrels, each on its little shelter on the sunny side of the building.

Monday, 9 March 2015

Hollym Carrs Nature Reserve

My first visit today to this nature reserve (10 hectares) owned by the South Holderness Countryside Society. We parked at the village of Hollym, just south of Withernsea, and walked on the bridleway for about a mile to the entrance of the reserve. The bridleway is lined by hedgerows, trees and a little pond and a stream amongst a couple of farms and arable fields. A Skylark sung and a pair of Greylags called nervously. I found an old barn owl pellet on the path (later found to contain a bank vole and a field vole).
A large panel showing some flagship species and a map welcomed us by the reserve entrance. Shortly after I spotted the first of three hares we saw speeding away. The reserve was crisscrossed by narrow tracks on the grass. After some wondering of what could be doing them the hoofprints of roe deer revealed the path-maker mystery. A crow rattled and a buzzard flew off. Despite the reserve being surrounded by agricultural land, there are some woods nearby (Weldon's plantation on the background of the top shot), and old hedgerows with the odd lone tree, and it is great to see that Buzzards have colonised much of the Holderness peninsula.
We reached a pond area surrounded by reeds and bullrushes and starting to be overgrown with willow. A Reed Bunting flew to a large willow and we flushed a hare from its form on the grass.
Many trees were planted in the reserve, mainly oak and ash, also with hawthorn, which are now starting to outgrow their tree guards. In due time this will make for a welcome woodland in an area dominated by arable farmland.
A reservoir near the reserve held some Mallard, Teal and Shoveler. A pair of Greylags called noisily, undecided if to flee or not. A small Golden Plover flock flew over the farms.