A frosty walk on the urban Humber

Another freezing January day. I leave the house around 8:30 with -5 oC. There are still patches of snow on the ground, but it has been dry, so not much ice. There is light cloud with brief sunny spells becoming windier later. A small flock of Siskins is feeding in the Italian Alders in my street. I meander along the green spaces towards town and I'm rewarded with Coal Tits singing and a small group of Redpolls feeding on the mossy branches of a sycamore, exactly how the Goldfinches do. At Princes Quay, a Cormorant sits on the lights platform. The marina has a light cover of ice, the first time I see this. In the entrance of the Marina the tide is now ebbing and a Dunlin does a couple of passes before briefly settling on the edge of the water. I carry on around the mouth of the river Hull, and then along the Humber along Victoria Dock. 

Siskin.

Siskin.

Coal Tit singing and feeding on pine tree.

Redpoll feeding on mosses.

Cormorant on Princes Quay.

The frozen Marina.

The yellow flagged Redshank, loyal to Myton Bridge.

Curlew.

At the Half tide basin, 16 Dunlin and two Ringed Plovers feed on the exposed mud. No sign of the Black Redstart or Rock Pipits of a couple of weeks, but in the freshwater basin the fountain has kept open water, where a young Mute Swan, Coots, Mallards and 13 Tufted Ducks are feeding. Many Black-headed Gulls and a few Common Gulls too.

Ringed Plover with worm.

Dunlin.

Redshank.

Dunlin runnning.

Ringed Plover.

Dunlin.

Four Mallards and a Coot were on the Humber foreshore.

AJY was on its usual spot.The flag seemed to bother it and it kept shaking its leg.

A surprise Black-tailed Godwit at the Siemens mud.

Immature Great Black-backed Gull at the Siemens shore.

Pied Wagtail.

Turning to head back the wind is strenthening and the cold is cutting. I make my way to The Deep. A Kestrel is hunting nearby. A cacophony of Herring Gulls, flying over the river calls my attention. I look for raptors and see none, then I look to the river and spot a seal! It is a Common Seal, swimming back and forth, up and down, while the Mallards leave the water and the Curlew flies over Scale Lane Bridge, alarm calling. I watch and photograph the seal, my first urban seal in Hull. The seal appears to look for a place to haul itself out of the water (top shot) but is not happy with the steep and slippery mud of the river Hull. I leave it to it and make my way to Waterstones for a hot coffee.

A view of The Deep.

Kestrel.

Common Seal.

Common Seal.

The Mallards move away from the water as the seal approaches.

A walk along the river Hull to Victoria Dock

A mild, gloomy and breezy morning, I walk towards Wilmington Bridge, then south along the urban river Hull to the Humber. At Barmston drain, a Grey Wagtail drops to the recently cut bank and starts feeding. It will be the first of three today. Near the river, a Kestrel hovers briefly. I pop at the car park at the end of Fountain Road. A young Moorhen is negotiating the mud along the river and a group of gulls is bathing, amongst them an adult Great Black-back Gull, the first in the patch this year.

Kestrel.

Great Black-backed Gull.

River Hull, looking south

The Great Black-backed Gull in flight.

Black-headed Gull.

Moorhen.

I carry on as close to the river as I can and have a stop at Chapman Street bridge. There are Redshanks above and below the bridge, and two Pied Wagtails. Good number of Redshanks by the Museums Quarter.

River Hull, looking north from Chapman St bridge.

Pied Wagtail.

Street Art.

River Hull shipyard.

Redshank by the Barmston Drain outfall.

A drake Mallard takes a bath.

Dunnock at Great Union Street.

A new shipwreck at the museums quarter.

The second Grey Wagtail.

Sea Aster.

I have a nice surprise at Plimson Way, where a female Teal is feeding. Then another, with a Tufted Duck and the Half-tide basin. The big reward comes at the end, at Corinthiams Way, where a Black-tailed Godwit (number 103 for the 100 species in Hull challenge) is feeding with the wonky legged Curlew, both finding plenty of ragworms and not visibly squabbling with each other. The godwit goes to wash ragworms in little puddles before swallowing them, just like the redshanks.

Teal at Plimsol Way.

Tufted Duck, half tide basin.

The third Grey Wagtail at the half-tide basin.

Black-tailed Godwit.

The wonky legged Curlew. 

Another curlew by the Deep.

Black-headed Gull.

An August walk to Victoria Dock

A mild day with light drizzle showers, and a low tide, I head towards Victoria Dock, hoping to see some waders to add to my year list. On the way, I watch two Sparrowhawks over the city centre and another over Ha'penny bridge. The Feral Pigeons at Queen Victoria Square are enjoying the reopened fountain and are bathing enthusiastically, displaying their curious habit of exposing the underside of their wings to get it wet. There are many Lesser Black-backed fledglings begging to parents around Princes Quay, with plaintive whistles and crouched stances. At Victoria Pier, a Lesser Black-backed gull feeds on a dead woodpigeon, it is a young one, its back open.

Sparrowhawk.

Feral Pigeon bath time.

Begging Lesser Black-backed juveniles chasing a parent.

A Lesser Black-back Gull feeding on a young Woodpigeon.

A second Sparrowhawk.

Young House Martins getting ready to fledge.

Young coot chick being fed by parent.

No waders at the Half-tide basin, but many House Martins around, some in their nests almost ready to fledge. A surprise are three Mute Swans, which are feeding on the foreshore near Corinthians Way. All three have small bill knobs and one of them has brown fringes in its wings, so probably they are yearlings moulting. The limping Curlew is still there, still limping, but actively feeding.

One of the Mute Swans. 

The limping male Curlew. 

I scan the mudflats at the end of Corithians Way. The Curlew and some Black-headed Gulls are there, but no Oystercatchers. After a short spot, I turn round. A flock of Starlings feed on the exposed seaweed, turning it like Turnstones and using their open bill probing technique to hunt for invertebrates.

Starling open bill probing on seaweed.

Young pied wagtail.

I get to the Half-tide Basin. There are two juvenile Pied Wagtails now. I watch them as they chase and flutter after insects on the mud, when the House Martins start alarm calling. The wagtails immediately fly off, and I scan the sky, hoping for a raptor. A Hobby! It's flying low parallel to me, and soon it's going to fly behind the buildings, so I'm lucky to be able to take a couple of record shots. I haven't had a Hobby in Hull since 2022, and the last time was on Myton Bridge, powering towards Victoria Dock. This time of year the young House Martins are on the wing, and it must be easy pickings for Hobbies.

Hobby.

I follow the Hobby as it flies NE towards the trees by the A63. Hobby is number 96 for my Birds in Hull, so a very nice outcome for the walk.

A male Vapourer landed on the path in front of me. It appeared to be struggling against the wind, and I acted as a windbreak.