Figham Common with Hull Nats

A warm day with barely a breeze, it was great to record insect along the river Hull and the drain and common. The common was very dry and there was no pooled water. I had taken a bus to Beverley and walked along Beverley Beck and then south along the river Hull. At the end of the beck, I hear and then see a juvenile Peregrine chasing an adult which seemed to be carrying something in its bill. The Minster family in Peregrine school mode. A patch of Himalayan Balsam dampened my excitement. It really has been a long time since I've visited Figham, and the previous time was during my walk along the River Hull in 2017, but that was in Marsh, when the main interest is birds. The marginal vegetation is flourishing in a narrow belt along the river, where the cows and horses of the common can't reach. At the other side, there is a Reedbed, from where Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers sing. The river looks placid and inviting, its waters transparent and I can see plenty of fish. A big surprise is a Common Tern, which I see in the morning and then in the afternoon. It stays only long enough to catch a fish and then fly westwards. I can only think of Common Terns nesting at North Cave wetlands west of Figham, but this is 19 km away! I meet up with the Hull Nats group at Woodmansey after lunch and then we explore the common, walk upstream by the river and return south along the west shore of the Barmston drain.

Beverley Beck

Moorhen and Yellow Water lilies at the Beck.

The Barmston drain at its crossing with the beck. The drain is channelled under the Beck.

A boat at a dry dock at the Beck.

Peregrine juvenile and adult.

Patch of Himalayan Balsam at the river Hull.

The River Hull.

Barmston Drain.

A Black-headed Gull adult and a juvenile rest on the floodbank.

One of a pair of Oystercatchers over.

Buzzard.

A peak flowering River Water-dropwort.

Curlew over.

Common Tern with just caught fish.

A very rushy section of the common.

Butterflies

I recorded 16 species of butterflies on the wing, many nectaring on the abundant thistles, other salting or egg laying. The hedges along the Barmston Drain were especially productive. Many Peacocks, Red Admirals and Painted ladies were fresh, just emerged for the summer generation. 

Comma.

Red Admiral

Small Skipper.

A Painted Lady basking on a cowpat.

Small Whites salting at the bottom of a dry ditch.

And not far off, Green-veined Whites.

A Small Copper on Ragwort.

A few very fresh Peacocks of the summer generation were about.

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Red-eyed Damselflies were plentiful at the Beck. But, once on the river, Banded Demoiselles where the stars of the show, with small groups of males chasing females along the shore. Although the river is still tidal here, the water is fresh and this is demonstrated by the abundance of marginal plants, fish and dragonflies.  

Red-eyed Damselfly at the Beck.

Male Banded Demoiselle.

Female Banded Demoiselle.

Male Emperor Dragonfly patrolling along the river shore.

We watched as this femaleBanded Demoiselle dived underwater to lay eggs in the vegetation.

While we were watching the egg-laying demoiselle, this female Southern Hawker did some astounding behaviour,it propelled itself against the water and somersaulted up, only to repeat the performace a few times before flying away. Apparently they may do this to cool down, although it looks like quite a risky behaviour too!

Back at the drain, two Brown Hawker females egg layed near each other ona floating log.

Southern Hawker.

Robin Pincushion.

Urban birds at Hull. 54. Common Sandpiper

A small wader of riversides and wetland edges, where it forages for small invertebrates from the water surface, mud or marginal vegetation. It has sandy-brown upperparts and bright white underparts, with a distinctive white 'hook' on the side of the chest, relatively short yellow-green legs and a crouched stance. In flight it shows a thin white wing bar, white sides to the tail, and distinctly bowed wings, alternating flickering and gliding. When disturbed, it usually flies close to the water surface, with its flight call is a trio of high-pitched and piercing and quick notes 'see, see, seee'. When feeding, it walks steadily constantly bobbing its rear end.

27th August 2023. Pickering Park.

Status and distribution in Hull

The Common Sandpiper breeds in upland rivers and lakes in the UK, and winters in Africa. In Hull it is a regular passage migrant, often single birds, occasionally travelling in small parties. Birds can be seen in spring and autumn passage, although the autumn passage is longer and stronger. The species can be expected from mid April to late May and from mid July to mid September. Any place by water, particularly the large lakes at East Park and Pickering Park, Bransholme Reservoir, and along the River Hull and the Humber foreshore at low tide could hold birds.

22 May 2022. Pickering Park.

3 May 2022. Bransholme reservoir.

Common Sandpiper feeding on the exposed mud at the River Hull, by Stoneferry. 1st May 2021. 

Management and conservation

The Common Sandpiper is Amber listed in the UK due to population declines, more marked in the mid 1990s when the UK population declined about 20%. In later years the population, although fluctuating, is more stable, with a recent increase. The reasons behind the decline are unknown. Being a migrant, habitat maintenance to known stopover sites could aid survival during migration.

More information

Common Sandpiper. BTO Birdfacts.

R.K. Broughton. 2002. Birds of the Hull Area. 

(top shot: Common Sandpiper at East Park, 10 September 2019) 

Stoneferry to Foredyke Green along the river Hull

I wasn't planning this walk in the morning, as I was going to walk the old course of the Foredyke Green to join Hull Nats at Wilberforce Wood. In the event, a Peregrine deflected my walk and sent me up the river Hull. The forecast had been for cloudy weather most of the day, instead, there were long sunny spells and warm conditions with a very light breeze, ideal for insects. The peregrine, on its favourite building, was plucking and eating its prey, probably a Feral Pigeon. I hid behind a fence, taking photos from between the bars. When it stopped feeding, it swiped its bill clean on the edge of the alcove, and looked around. After taking some photos I left it on its ledge and continued on my new path. 

Peregrine feeding.

Atop its perch.

I hoped that I could tick the Common Sandpipers near B&Q. The tide though, was very high and rising.An alarm called my attention, it heralded event that I don't see very often these days, the twin bridges of Stoneferry opening for a boat to pass. It was a small boat and the bridges didn't completely lift up, luckily, I thought, for the Swallows that nest under the bridge. I waved at the people on the boat as the boat passed, and waited until the surface of the river settled again. Maybe the sandpipers won't happen today anyway.

The Swallows landed on the bridge shortly after it went down. I hope eggs or chicks on the nest won't have been dislodged.

With such a high tide I thought I wouldn't risk it on the soft banks of the west side, so I walked on the East side. It a hard surfaced bank in its first stretch, with moorings and a short lane called Ferry Lane. Buddleias laden with sweet blossom dot the bank and there were a range of butterflies, manly nymphalids.

Small Tortoiseshell.

Painted Lady.

Peacock.

Just as I had taken this photo of the peacock a small bird flew past behind the buddleia and landed on a fence. A quick look with my binoculars and I got very excited: a Black Redstart! I managed some photos as it perched on the fence, likely an adult female. Would it be nesting nearby? It is peak breeding season for Black Redstarts, a species I hadn't seen in Hull since 2022 at Albert Dock, and also species 95 for my 100 birds in Hull challenge. The screeching noise of the cranes lifting metal of the scrapyard opposite grate against this lovely sighting, it couldn't be a more fitting habitat!

Black redstart.

Three large old warehouses have recently been cleared in this plot. Herring anf Lesser Black-backed gulls were loafing on the ground. The warehouse to the right of the photo has several Lesser Black-backed pairs with grown chicks.

About 20 Swifts descended over the river, and disappeared again.

I continue up river until Sutton Bridge, then I head for Bude Park. Several tethered horses graze on the grassland. A new aquagreen has been created, and it looks like it was full in the winter, the field next to it bare but for a few scattered plants. I continue by ASDA into Wilberforce Wood.

Aquagreen Bude Park.

The temporary pond at Wilberforce Wood is teeming with tiny ground hoppers.

I sit by the Foredyke Green Pond to have my packed lunch and do some dragonfly watching. The weather is  perfect for it, and I list 8 species on the wing.

Brown Hawker ovipositing.

Ruddy Darter.

Emperor leaving oviposition site.

Male Broad-bodied Chaser.

Migrant Hawker.

I meet up with Hull Nats after that and we walk in a circuit around Wilberforce Wood. There are many butterflies on the wing and Roesel's and Coneheads are calling.

Brimstone

Roesel's

Peacock.

Red Admiral.