Foredyke Green Pond and Noddle Hill

It had been a while since I had visited Foredyke Green pond, a sunny, hot day, I decided to visit. I would then walk to Noddle Hill for the rest of the trip. As I arrived a Southern Hawker male was patrolling. As I walked around the pond, it became apparent that there were three males, with clashes every time they met, almost like Emperors, although they keep to the shoreline vegetation. One of them rested for a little while.

Male Southern Hawker.

A female Migrant Hawker hovered over the marginal vegetation, she started ovipositing on a log, moving to different locations.

Several males were also about.

After a while, I walked to Noddle Hill. Common Blue Damselflies were by the NW entrance path. 

A flock of Common Gulls loafed on the playing fields.

The fishing lake had barely any floating vegetation and even the marginal vegetation was quite sparse in places. There weren't many dragonflies about. I searched for willow emeralds on the trees, unsuccessfully. I looked in the Emeralds pond, but there were none. I moved to the pond-dipping pond. There I found a snail killing fly.

A Snail Killing fly, Ilione albiseta I think.

And I was nicely surprised to find a terrapin, basking with rear legs outstretched, seal-style. It must have moved from the lake.

A blue-tailed damselfly oviposited in the main lake. Migrant Hawkers and Common darters were also around.

Blue-tailed Damselfly.

I returned to Foredyke Green. I walked around the pond.

Eristalinus sepulchralis, a spotty-eyed hoverfly.

I had checked the willow in the early morning, so I was surprised to find a male Willow Emerald, near it on some yellow flag leaves. A new site for Willow Emerald in Hull!

Male Willow Emeralds are brilliant for photos, they just pose. I experimented with different backgrounds.

As I was photographing the willow emerald, a male Black Darter landed nearby. My first Black darter in Hull! I scrambled for photos, but I managed a single one in focus before a Ruddy Darter male flushed it and it disappeared. I couldn't find it again unfortunately, but what an amazing surprise!

Black Darter.

Common Darters were out and mating.

A Brown Hawker female was ovipositing.

Here is the Ruddy Darter that scared the Black Darter. They are stunning!

I had to go back home for lunch, but I returned in the afternoon to the pond for more.

The male Willow Emerald was near the willow, closer now to the shore, following the sunlight.

Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Female Ruddy Darter

This area of the pond had Ruddy Darter, Willow Emerald, Common Darter and Black Darter. A Southern hawker patrolled.

Another view of the male Willow Emerald.

It was clear that the Black Darter was gone for good. I decided to visit the Midmeredales pond. Despite being very full earlier in the year, it was completely empty and dry.

I found a Slender Groundhopper, an insect often found in damp places.

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper.

Damsels and dragons at Noddle Hill

The warm spell continues, and after lunch I headed to Noddle Hill, to watch dragonflies. This local nature reserve on Bransholme has a fishing lake with plenty of marginal vegetation and several ponds, including one with a pond-dipping platform. The site was much drier than usual and the water level was low in some ponds. Male Black-tailed Skimmers sat on pretty much each fishing pontoon and they were surprisingly approachable.

At least three Four-spotted Chasers were also on the NW side of the pond, these favouring the tip of yellow flag leaves to keep watch.

This Four-spotted chaser had a few mites on its abdomen.

A male Emperor Dragonfly patrolled low over the water and a female was egg laying. It caught some larger prey and appeared to land on the trees, but I couldn't locate it.

Emperor patrolling and hunting.

 I walked around the reserve. By one of the ponds a single Emerald Damselfly (top shot), my first of the year and a nice addition to my year Yorkshire List. A Ruddy Darter was also about, and then I found another my the fishing lake, squabbling with a Four-spotted Chaser.

Ruddy darter, male.

Female or immature male Ruddy darter.

There were plenty of Common Blue, Black-tailed and Azure Damselflies, mating and ovipositing on the shore of the fishing lake and the pond-dipping pond.

Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Ovipositing Azure Damselflies.

Mating Azure Damselflies.

Common Blue Damselflies in tandem.

 Overall, a nice outing from a site well known for its dragonfly diversity, with 8 of the 14 species recorded active today.

Noddle Hill Dawn Chorus 2017

As it is becoming customary, I headed to Noddle Hill to celebrate Dawn Chorus day, this time with tweep Helen. We arrived at this one and only nature reserve at Hull at 5:00, with enough light to see our way through the paths. A Blackcap, Blackbirds and a Chiffchaff sung from the car park, soon to be joined by nest calling Woodpigeon. As soon as we made it out of the woodland a Whitethroat sung from a hawthorn, followed by Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Song Thrush and Linnet. We listened for Grasshopper Warbler but it wasn't to be, maybe the cool temperatures the last few days have delayed their arrival to the reserve? A local we met said they haven't been heard yet this year, but also commented on the presence of SEO on the site this winter. Must visit the site more!
 I decided to check a pair of pheasants by a field edge and focused on a pair of Grey Partridge, my first of the year and a lovely sight indeed! In the same field, and later on the paddock four Lapwing were displaying, which I hadn't seen in the site for a while.
 The persistent mobbing call of gulls 'kyeow!' alerted us to the presence of a raptor, a cream top marsh harrier, which quartered over the reedbeds and dissappeared in the distance. Not much later a Snipe flew around a few times, and another small wader which flew away before I could identify it.
 We walked around the reserve a couple of times until 8:20 and added some nice birds to my site list: Snipe, Marsh Harrier, Grey Partridge and Shelduck. We also had a Barn Owl and a Kestrel hunting around the reserve. A great total of 42 sp. To top up the morning I had my first Swift on the way home, which takes me to 160 species this year.

We spotted two hares grazing on the pastures. They hung around long enough for photos.  

Singing Whitethroat. 

One of two Shelducks on the wet pastures just outside the reserve.

Reed Bunting. 

The sun already high making a brief appearance. 

Pair of Grey Partridge. 

Reed Bunting. 

Sedge Warbler. 

Coot on the pond. 

Three Greylag families with goslings were gathered at the side of the lake. This gosling approached us confidently, but its dad wasn't so sure and threatened us, hissing. This family had this single gosling whereas... 

...this other family had 11 of two different sizes. 

Some here nuzzling to their mother.  

A view of a reedbed. 

Back in the car park we had great views of this male Song Thrush. 

In the fields, a group of non reproductive Greylags gathered to feed.