Sculcoates July visit with an autumnal feel

On Saturday morning it is becoming a habit that I visit the Sculcoates patch. A sunny, warm day, I got there at 7:45 and walked to the drain first via the cycle path. The grass is quite scorched as it hasn't rained much in the last couple of months. In contrast, the reeds and bank side vegetation have grown a lot so I got close and peeked over, flushing a Kingfisher! This is my 3rd Kingfisher sighting on the patch, a very good start! Then I crossed the Sculcoates lane and had a look from the pedestrian bridge. Something dived and it was too small for a Coot. It took longer to emerge too, an adult Little Grebe! It was peeking through the surface and diving, but gave me a few moments to take a photo. 

Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were in full song today along the drain and in the cemetery.

A view of the railway triangle where the Teddy Park is.

Comma, by Teddy Park. Also Speckled Woods about.

I then moved onto the Sculcoates Cemetery. Two young birds call alternately and I finally work out there are two Chaffinch fledgling, both parents calling anxiously nearby. After a couple of photos, I leave them be. The move sideways when they beg in a curious way.

Chaffinch fledgling.

Butterflies

There are warm, sunny spells and butterflies are out in the N Cemetery. At least 3 Small Skippers, the first Gatekeepers of the year in the patch and my first Small Copper of the year, a species I only see in small numbers. 

Small Copper.

Small Skipper.

Green-veined white

The most numerous butterfly was the Ringlet today.

Gatekeeper.

Painted Lady, a nice surprise by the cycle path.

The River

I headed to the river next. The tide low. I scan the mud and spot a lone Redshank, probably in passage. There are a handful of Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed gulls, with five returned Black-headed Gulls.

Redshank.

Black-headed Gull.

Stock Dove.

Sunbathing Blackbird.

Hull Railway triangles: Jack Kaye Fields

 

In the morning, I go to work via Jack Kaye and walk around the field. This is a playing field with areas of woodland and scrub, with large trees lining the adjacent railway land. It has survived development partly because of the difficulty of access. It has houses on two sides, a cycle lane, Jack Kaye Lane, and the railway line on the south side. The western area has long grass and scrub, while on the eastern area there are two glades in the woodland. It is cloudy and the only thing of note is that I find a skipper roosting on a Creeping Thistle flower. It is on the photo above, can you find it? Now that I've had Essex Skipper at Hull I feel I need to check every skipper, something I only did occasionally before. I check it, and it is indeed, a Small Skipper, it's brown antennae undersides very clear in the photo. 

I walk the same way back home after work. It is warm and sunny, so I stop to do a butterfly count at the field

Ringlets are plentiful but starting to look battered and faded.

Two Commas patrol and sit in prominent perches around glades.

Meadow Brown. There are a few Meadow Browns about too.

And of course plenty of Small Skippers, at least, all the ones I check.

There were some very fresh Large Whites.

A Small Butterfly settled on an oak leaf, a Purple Hairstreak? I lost it. There were Speckled Woods about so maybe just wishful thinking.

A Chiffchaff fledgling at Jack Kaye fields was a nice finding, it even posed for a little bit when I whistled its song. There have been two singing Chiffchaffs in the area so it is nice they have already fledged their young.

Must brush up my grasshopper ID. Probably a male Lesser Marsh Grasshopper.

Chiffchaff Habitat.

A walk of East Park in July

A morning walk to East Park. Mostly cloudy, mild and breezy, with a chance of sunny spells in the early morning. As I passed by the aggregates company I saw they had removed some of the mountain of aggregates covered in flowers, making a cliff, which made me think of Sand Martins and Bee-eaters (which are breeding in N Norfolk). I don't think the cliff, or hill, are going to last long enough, but it was a nice thought. 

Aggregate hill and cliff.

A sunny spell as I arrived at Rockford Fields encouraged me to take a detour and make a butterfly list. I checked a skipper, turning to take a face on photo to check it's antennae underwings and had a lovely surprise, black tips! an Essex Skipper, my 1st in Hull! also Ringlets, Small Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Green-Veined White and Small white.

Essex Skipper.

This Small Tortoiseshell shivered its wings while sitting on the grass.

A ball of Pisaura mirabilis spiderlings.

Small Skipper.

Red Admiral.

Two Treecreepers and a singing Goldcrest in the shrubbery. 

One of the three returned Black-headed Gulls.

A passage of Swifts, with about 20 flying around the lake, drinking. Some failed to drink and circled around.

Two visible terrapins, one a Cooter.

Common Blue Damselfly.

Three adult Great Crested Grebes, but chicks being brooded on nest, out of sight.

A relatively short visit to East Park, little Odonata activity due to weather, but really interesting nonetheless. 1st a UK ringed Greylag! CCS green, will report on origin. Looks like a yearling bird. My 1st ringed greylag in Hull, a different one to Lesley Longworth's.

On the way back, on Stoneferry area, 2 Buzzards mobbed by Lesser Black-backed gulls drifted past, then a Peregrine came to check them out. Not a pleasant area to walk, but it is great for raptors, with Kestrel earlier too, maybe they follow the river.

I almost got the three raptors in the same shot!

 A very nice way to finish the walk.

Sculcoates in early July

 

A cloudy, mild morning with a light breeze. I take an early walk to Sculcoates after a while. I walk around the playing fields, which are quite empty, just a few young Herring Gulls loafing, and then move onto Bridlington Avenue.

As I walk along the drain, a Lesser Black-back Gull starts calling 'ga, ga, ga, ga!' following me. Does it recognise me from last year as something interesting in their young? Do I know you? Anyhow, I am relieved when the gull enters a crow territory and the crows see it off. Gull alarm calls are quite disturbing, especially if directed to oneself!

The alarmed LBBG

 There is an amazing 9 Pied Wagtails on the grass possibly two families, as there are many young (top shot). A family of 6 Swallows, skim the grass around the Pied Wagtails, occasionally a young gets fed in the air, something I love to watch. Two House Martins join the feeding party, flying along the trees by the drain. Also by Bridlington Avenue are two young crows, playing with sticks and leaves, and just being as goofy as young crows are.

Young Crow

Young Crows playing

Flocks of Goldfinches come down to feed on the creeping thistle seedheads

One of the young coots from the 1st brood looks much like an adult, save for the darkened bill tip.

The tide is running high on the river. I check the gull's loafing spot and there is a gull looking larger. The bill is black and thick, head quite white, legs pink. I think it is one year old Great Black-backed Gull, but I doubt myself as it is standing on its own, away from the others. 

Then two 3-year-old Lesser Black-backed Gulls land almost on top of it, it is really a GBBG!! Look at that size! It appears annoyed at the others and pulls at pieces of plants or moss from the wall a few times, not moving from its spot, occasionally looking at its feet.

Great Black-backed Gull and Lesser Black-backed gulls.

As I was leaving, I hear a Whitethroat alarm call from a buddleja by the drain and manage a photo showing that is carrying food, a fly visible in the bill, indicating it has got chicks nearby.

The coot pair has a second brood, the adult here is leading the young away from me, towards the marginal vegetation.