Hull Birds Available Online

In 2002 Richard K Broughton published Birds of the Hull Area.  To mark the 10th anniversary of this milestone volume, the information included has just been made available online for the first time:  Birds of the Hull Area

A male Bullfinch taken within the Hull boundary at the Humber Bridge Country Park.  Numbers of Bullfinches continue to do well at the Park.  There are a great number of Ash trees at the park - one of the Bullfinches favourite foods  - but their food is definitely supplemented by food left at the feeding station.  These are the most confiding Bullfinches I have ever seen, sometimes flying down before the person putting down seed has retreated from the bird table!

 Unfortunately, the one off records mentioned in the book such as the Wood Warbler singing in May 1986, and the skull of a  Hawfinch hitting the kitchen window in 1998 have not been repeated.  However, there have been some more one off records to compensate.  In the very dry April of 2011 we had a succession of surprising visitors to the water in our garden: Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat even a Reed Warbler, but the biggest surprise was a male Ring Ouzel - a first since we have been watching in 1969.  Further investigation revealed it was trying to find earthworms among the male Blackbirds during the day in the cemetery, but for at least 2 evenings it sneaked into the garden for a drink.

A Ring Ouzel in the cemetery

 The previous evening here he is looking to slake his thirst

 We didn't see our first Great Spotted Woodpecker in our Hull garden until 18th September 1977, but now they are an almost daily visitor - especially the young birds in June and July.

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker Bathing 

 In the 2000 book my photo of a male Brambling which stunned itself for a few seconds in our window was published.  Since then they are not quite an annual visitor, but we do get a few in the garden on average one or 2 every other spring or two.  We've yet to have an autumn record, all our birds seem to be on the way back to Scandinavia in April or May.

A female Brambling in our garden April 2008

 Another of my photos of a Tawny Owl perched on a drainpipe on the maternity home was included in the 2002 volume.  Unfortunately, the maternity home has gone, as has such an obvious place for the owls to perch.  We still have Tawny Owl in the trees, but the only time when they are easier to find is when the mother is sat guarding her nearby chicks.

Adult Tawny Owl

 Tawny Owl Chick

One of the most recent unusual one-off birds was a Lesser Whitethroat which was first seen on Boxing Day 2009.  It excited some local interest, as it its late arrival meant it could have been of an eastern race.  However, it's true identity was never definitively  established.  It was then seen subsequently on an almost daily basis until mid-April 2010.

Lesser Whitethroat at our feeding station in early January 2010

Purring & Chafing with Pleasure

Sunday is usually a quiet day off avoiding crowded birding sites, but today I was leading a rambling group around a gem of a local wildlife site.  12 people were booked, but only 9 were able to make it on the actual morning.  It’s a shame the single afternoon participant wasn’t offered one of the available spaces, as I could have gone home for my Sunday roast!  

We began at the top of the site – the usual car park Meadow Pipits were only present in the afternoon, and neither session had the previously standard Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat or Linnets.   We made our way down the tarmac road past the first lake.  Here everyone managed to see a Wren belting out its strident song from the top of a Hawthorn bush.  There was a pair of Tufted Ducks on the lake itself with some Mallard, and a singing Blackcap and a purring Turtle Dove could be heard in the distance.  

Turtle Dove

 Wren

 Cockchafer

We walked up the first hill surrounded by silence – the normal singing Reed Warblers were absent – probably because the reedbeds have completely dried out – the first time this has happened since I’ve been visiting the site.  At the top of the hill the purring Turtle Doves became louder and we had occasional glimpses of them flying past us.  Also around the peak were a family of Long-tailed Tits, a Blackcap, a Whitethroat, & a Chiffchaff.  The first Orange-tips were also flittering past us, never seeming to come to rest.  However, the best sighting was something really unexpected first spotted by Dave and something I’d never seen before – a Cockchafer.  It seemed very clumsy in flight, and the enormous fan-like antennae made it look extraordinary as it bumbled among the hawthorn sprays.   

Cockchafer

At the bottom of the hill Pauline spotted a Kestrel, and this time the bushes were not completely silent because a Lesser Whitethroat was rattling away.  It did perch in the open briefly, but not everyone was able to get their binoculars on it in time.  However, they did manage to see it with their naked eyes as it circled us, flying swiftly from bush-to-bush.  We made our way along the main path separating different kinds of habitat where we saw a Sedge Warbler perching briefly in the open, before it began to hide at the bottom of a hawthorn bush in a reedbed.  We climbed a small mound and from here a Sparrowhawk was seen carrying its prey to the next-door site.  We also saw a Meadow Pipit performing its parachuting song-flight much to the delight of the attendees.   

Lesser Whitethroat

 Blackcap

 Distant shot of Heron Chicks in Nest

Willow Warbler

 ditto

On the climb up to the next hill a pair of Bullfinches were semi-concealed in a willow tree covered in fluffy seed heads, but most people got to see them.  In an open area a Willow Warbler impressed everyone with its silvery cadences, and another Turtle Dove purred loudly before flying around us & fanning out its tail as it performed a showy display flight.  On our way down to the water’s edge we came across a family of Long-tailed Tits, whilst in the afternoon a Reed Warbler was singing concealed in a hawthorn, rather than in the fringe of reeds.  A warbler landed in the reeds briefly.  I assumed it would be a Reed Warbler but didn’t have time to raise my binoculars, so was surprised to see it was a Blackcap when I checked the photos.  A Stock Dove was calling in this area in the afternoon, but the Turtle Doves were generally quieter than during the morning.  From the lake we could see at least 2 Heron chicks in the nest, but one participant was able to see at least 3 – they seemed unperturbed when another Kestrel flew over the nest.  Directly under the Herons, 2 Great Crested Grebes appeared to be in the area of their nest.  A Chiffchaff sang nearby, but it remained hidden from view. 

Record Shot of Red Kite

 Rudd [left] with Perch to the left

 Long-tailed Tit

 Common Whitethroat

Climbing back up to the open area the Willow Warbler was still singing, then Jo spotted a large bird of prey soaring in the direction of Keyingham.  I was expecting it to be a Buzzard, so was rather surprised to discover a Red Kite.  It then drifted to the North West.  At this point the morning session finished at the catering ‘truck’, but the 1-2-1 afternoon group had bypassed the first lake, so had some time in hand.  We therefore walked along the  second lake where a Whitethroat showed very well.  At the drain we saw a pair of Grey Partridges fly into a field of oilseed rape, heard a Reed Warbler near the drain, but a highlight here was a hunting Barn Owl over the land-fill area.  After enjoying this afternoon white phantom we walked along the old railway line, but this area was very quiet, but we saw our third Holy Blue, a few orange-tips and our first Small Copper & Speckled Wood butterflies.  A few minutes later I observed a Turtle Dove on the wires.  We were able to sidle along quietly on the grassy verges until we were almost underneath it. This was the best view I’ve enjoyed for quite some time, whilst it was a ‘lifer’ for Pam.  It knew we were there, and was a little nervous, but it even preened its rear quarters before flying away into dense cover.  It was a fitting finale to a scorching afternoon. 

Small Copper

 Turtle Dove

Stop Press!

Three of the Wednesday morning group went on to Holderness after today's class.  They saw Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats, a Speckled Wood butterfly, but their big find was a Wryneck on the old Hedon to Patrington Railway line.  It was a 'lifer' for Miles & Anthony, and will make many of the others on the course green with envy.

All photos (c) 2012 Tony Robinson

Wryneck

 ditto

ditto

 ditto

 Lesser Whitethroat

 Speckled Wood

New Reserve Gets Nod of Approval

Today we were able to visit a brand new nature reserve, and the morning group encountered 45 species.  The sighting highlight was a Kingfisher, probably only seen by 2 (incl the tutor); whilst the best bird heard was a Grasshopper Warbler – again only heard by 2 (incl the tutor & a different participant).  In the afternoon the Kingfisher was almost in the same place, and was seen by all but one participant.

In the morning I made the mistake of walking round the edge of the reserve, and although this yielded Willow Warbler, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler, it would have been better to have plunged straight into the bushes by the way-marked paths.  In the afternoon we tried this method, but by that time the small passerine birds had largely vanished.  The strong winds prevented many birds from being tempted to sing high from exposed song-posts.  One notable exception were the Linnets, which on today’s showing seemed to be the most ubiquitous species, as we came across them everywhere throughout the northern section of the site. 

The Kingfisher was in the area of the pumping station, and near here were breeding Tree Sparrows and Swallows collecting mud.  A Lesser Whitethroat was heard singing and was even observed by the afternoon group.  The Sedge warblers were much quieter after lunch, and the Grasshopper and Reed Warblers remained completely silent.

Les spotted a large female Sparrowhawk which gave good views before disappearing towards North Bransholme.  The only other raptor species seen was a Kestrel in the morning & a pair near the parking area during the last part of the lunch hour.

The morning group, especially, were much impressed with the site, and are keen to visit again without a biting north-easterly wind.

Sedge Warbler

ditto 

 Linnet [male]

 Linnet [female] (c) 2012 Tony Robinson

 Whitethroat

 Reed Bunting

 Skylark

 The Duck which Cannot be Named

 Small Tortoiseshell [very worn]

Immature Gull Trying to Devour a Fish