Two walks on the Humber

Monday, the windy walk

Under the strong winds of storm Herminia, I head towards the Humber. I pop at the railway triangle by Hull Royal Infirmary and I manage to steady my camera enough for some photos of a singing Song Thrush.

Song Thrush.

Pied Wagtail.

A Cormorant fishing in the river Hull.

Before I leave town, I check on Princes Quay for gulls, hoping for the Med gull. Nothing, just a couple of Black-headed gulls hunkering, horizontal, against the wind. Later, when I get home and check the photo I see the head of the Mediterranean Gull (68) poking from behind the roof (top shot).

Tuesday, the rainy walk

The storm has passed, and instead it is a drizzly and rainy day. I walk towards The Deep and take a walk and a coffee inside until the worst of the rain has passed at mid morning. No signs of Curlew again, which is a bit worrying. No new birds for the year either today.

Redshank.

Greenfinsh at Victoria Dock village.

Young Herring gull with a crab.

Some of the 30 strong flock of starling at Corinthians Way.

Goldfinch feeding on London plane baubles.

Magpie.

Pair of Mallards.

No Med gull at Princes Quay today, but a Pied Wagtail made up for it.

 

A drizzly walk to Victoria Dock Village

 I like the Victoria Dock walk along the Humber. There is always the chance of a wader or migrant along the way. It was drizzly and very cold, with a light, but chilling northerly wind that has plagued us in the last few days. Today, with the rain it was particularly quiet. The wind was light enough to be able to carry an umbrella and this serves as rain protection for my camera. I was surprised to see a few House Martins at Victoria Dock. I guess they still manage to catch a few insects, with some winter gnats over the half-tide basin. No Curlew or Redshank today, I think they must have started their migration to their summer grounds. A pair of Linnets was nice on the new park.

A Lesser Black-backed Gull at the Marina, with the monument to the migrants on the background.

A barge repairing the groynes by Myton Bridge.

This Starling managed to catch a large larvae, maybe a leatherjacket. It pecked and shaked it for a while, possibly making it more easy to swallow for its chicks.

A pair of Greylag Geese were grazing on the newly developed salt marsh on the dock entrance.

The saltmarsh at the corner of the Half-tide basin.

House Martin.

Linnet.

Just as I returned from Corinthians Way, I spot two Oystercatchers on the rocks. They only stay for a few minutes, moving west afterwards, piping.

The two Oystercatchers had noticeably different length bills. This one much had it shorter than...

...this one.

To put an end to the walk, a Peregrine flushing the pigeons near Myton Bridge on the way back.

Hull City Nature Challenge - Day 4 - Albert Dock, Victoria Dock, city centre, Wildlife Garden

Weather was good for the final day of the City Nature Challenge, with sunny spells, still and mild. After another early start, I headed to the core of the city, which hadn't been surveyed much, Albert Dock and Victoria Dock, the tide low. I started by ticking some common birds, including this crow carrying a piece of plastic. Starlings were busy collecting food for chicks and singing.

Crow with bit of plastic.

Singing Starling.

At the Milky Way square, the usual pair of Stock Doves, and not usually, a singing Whitethroat.

Whitethroat.

At the city centre, the frantic calls and flapping from a Feral Pigeon chick being fed by a parent called my attention. I took the photo once the commotion was over, both chick and parent looking very sedated. It always amazes me how tiny ledges they use as nests. With time, a rim of poo makes enough of a cup to told eggs and chicks. There is barely any indication of a nest hete.

Feral Pigeon with chick.

This Herring Gull forgot it was a Bank Holiday.

A Woodpigeon on the City Hall.

I had to record the Sea Spleenwort by the outer dock wall. It really suffered with the dry weather, but is already growing back.

Seaweed was exposed at low tide.

Henbit Deadlettle was a nice addition to my Hull plant list.

A Stock Dove feeds on the roof of a warehouse at Albert Dock.

After recording a number of plants at Albert Dock, which was very quiet bird-wise, I headed towards The Deep and Victoria Dock. It was a first for me to see Blackbirds mating atop a roof (top shot), then, a few houses ahear, a female House Sparrow requested mating repeatedly. 

Mating House sparrow.

Three-spined Stickleback.

Coot.

Lesser black-backed gulls displayed by the tideline at the Half-tide basin.

A Skylark flew up from the new saltmarsh and sung briefly, before disappearing.

I returned via Victoria Dock park. The sun shone for a while and I recorded a few Butterflies, including my first Holly Blue of the year.

Holly Blue.

Peacock.

Windowframe wildlife.

After lunch we had a spot of recording at the Pearson Park wildlife garden.

Celery fly, very active, beautiful fly.

Pond Skater.

Nursery Web Spider.

The final push was to check the remote camera I had placed in the garden for the CNC. I hadn't used in a long time and I wasn't sure it was going to work. After a few cat photos I was very pleased to see a few Fox selfies, which was a great record to end the challenge.

 

Fox in the garden

A walk to Corinthians Way in January

 

A sharp, frosty morning, I had to run some errands in town, so I decide to walk to Corinthians Way, by the Humber. I realise the tide is quite low, and I'm curious to see what's feeding on the mudflats just south of Scott Street bridge. I'm glad I checked, as I see my first Curlew north of North Bridge, and three Redshank too. Two Dunlin are with a Redshank south of the bridge, Dunlin being new for the year. 

Curlew North of North Bridge.

A sleeping Redshank, or is it?

The light is gorgeous, and I try some interesting photography by Victoria Pier.

A Curlew arrives noisily, and it keeps calling and walking by the Deep.

The Half Tide Basin.

The Half-tide Basin pays dividends, as there is a gull roost, and more excitingly, a large flock of Dunlin, frantically feeding by the tideline with a Curlew and a Redshank. 

Dunlin.

Dunlin flock.

Dunlin.

Another Curlew by the Siemens factory.

The mud puddles by Corinthians way were frozen

The beach by Corinthians Way.

A Woodpigeon stops to drink.

This gull had an unusual head.

The roost of Redshank assembling 2 h before high tide by the Arctic Corsair.