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

At the Eleventh Hour

Little Owl Chick

On Friday & Sunday evening the final events associated with Robert Fuller’s summer exhibition took place.  On both occasions we started in the new studio extension.  From the window on Friday we could see a young Great Spotted Woodpecker on the peanuts, and a Tree Sparrow fledgling being fed by its parent on a suet cylinder.  Then we saw the male Kestrel come down to  a small bird table.   Yesterday we only had the Kestrel, but this time at least 2 individuals were seen.

Immature Great Spotted Woodpecker (but in Hull)

We then shared cars to a hillside where we settled down to wait for Badgers.  As we waited on Friday we were surrounded by the gentle farts of House Martins, the cheerful twittering of Swallows.  There were plenty of Finches in the area, including Goldfinches, Linnets, Greenfinches and Chaffinches, which flew over us throughout our vigil gathering food for their chicks.  A Yellowhammer was also seen on both nights.  A Buzzard hunted nearby on Friday, whilst there were 2 on Sunday, but they didn’t approach as close to the waiting group.  On both evenings the plaintive mewing of a young Buzzard could be heard calling from the wood on the hilltop, presumably asking to be fed.  

On both nights we waited for over an hour keeping an eye on the higher sett, which we were told was the one currently occupied and that the cubs were due to emerge about 8.45.  Nothing happened on Friday until one participant spotted a head emerging from the supposedly vacant lower sett at 8.50.  A female emerged several times & collected fresh grass and backed into her tunnel.   We waited for quite a bit longer without any further sightings, so we packed up ready to return to the gallery.  We had all exited through the gate when someone spotted movement at the higher sett.  Everyone stood entranced for 10 minutes or so as 4 cubs capered about & seemed to play before setting off into the cultivated field.  Sunday was similar but this time all the activity was at the higher sett.  The telescopes were aimed at the upper sett, and everyone enjoyed miraculous close views of the energetic playing of the young Badgers.

Badgers (last year at a nearby location)

(c) 2012 Vince Cowell

 Tawny Owl (same location, but from 2010)

(c) 2012 Vince Cowell

On returning to the gallery it was about 10pm when the Tawny Owls arrived & these were watched for at least half an hour tucking in to their evening meal.  This year the owls in the trees near the gallery have failed to raise any offspring, but the adults are coming down to food, as are another pair from 2 fields away.  Apparently, there is considerable tension between these 2 families, but we only saw a couple of amicable owls. 

Tawny Owl (same location, but from 2010)

(c) 2012 Vince Cowell

 Little Owl (same location in 2010, is this the bird that was eaten earlier this year, or the one that paired up with another after the death of its partner?)

You may have read on Robert’s blog of the death of one of his adult Little Owls at the beginning of the breeding season.  Robert therefore assumed that the Little Owls were a write-off this year, but scientists say there is always a surplus population, and sure enough another bird must have moved in, because on Thursday evening Robert found a Little Owl fledgling – nearly a month later than other years.   They hadn’t used their accustomed nest-hole, but had utilised a previously ignored special nest box instead, which had been in position for 7 years.  We shared cars to this area on both nights, and Robert managed to locate a chick on each evening, which remained in place, transfixed by his torchlight.  The scowling youngster provided a fitting ending to the evening’s sighting, especially for the chap on Sunday, who’s Birthday treat for all his friends to enjoy, was the reason this event was taking place.  This year the evenings began inauspiciously, but perseverance paid off and by the end all the targets were achieved. 

Badgers by Owl-Light

2 Tawny Owl Fledglings

 Tawny Owl Fledgling

 2 Badger Cubs (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

After the excitement of finding a Corncrake at Struncheon Hill, that evening was Robert Fuller’s first Owl and Badger Watch of the season.  Luckily, Chris Cox had booked, and he volunteered to drive, again rescuing me from dropping off at the wheel, after being on the go since 4.50 than morning.  We arrived at the gallery in good time to find most of the attendees already assembled.  The original plans had to be altered.   One of Robert’s Little Owls had been eaten in March, probably by Tawny Owls, and his Tawny Owls hadn’t nested in their usual box, probably because one of the adults had been electrocuted during the winter.

Everyone followed Robert to the new Owl location in their own cars.  On arrival we headed to the area where Robert had seen 2 chicks that morning.  Down in the valley we could hear an adult Great Spotted Woodpecker calling from higher ground where there had been a scout minibus a few minutes before.  However, we were near recently fledged youngsters, and Robert pointed out these calls to the assembled throng, but we didn’t manage to get a visual fix on them.  A Chiffchaff called nearby and sang fitfully a few times.  At least one person fell over trying to look up for Owls and walk at the same time, but no one was seriously hurt.  So, that is what Healthy & Safety is for!  We started to go uphill again on an uneven track & Robert said that the Tawny Owl chicks were calling quietly.  It was much more difficult to find the chicks in this large Beech tree, than those which had frequented the long line of trees outside Robert’s gallery.  One of my students, Richard W, was the first to spot one of the chicks.  We eventually all had views of these fledglings, but they were flighty, and moved about several times before they remained still long enough for most to get good views in Robert’s telescope.

The Badgers had been coming out shortly after 8pm, so we switched our attention to them.  We settled down on the hillside near the sett they had been frequenting.  However, we were spread out, so Robert wasn’t able to regale the group with tales of Badger lore and behaviour.  We waited for 75 minutes before anything happened.  It was thought they could smell us, so they refused to come into the open, or that we were too close to the sett.  In fact the Badgers were already abroad because after an hour and 15 minutes the sow and 4 cubs headed back down to the sett.  Everyone got to see them as a couple of cubs stayed in the open for some time.  However, they all went back into the field above their sett again and were lost from sight.  Robert went up the hillside and walked along the side of the fence and this caused the return of the cubs and the sow.  She froze and looked over her shoulder because of the excessive noise caused by the nearby scouts, but soon headed back to the sett following her cubs.

The return of the badgers brought an end to our vigil.  On the return journey we stopped to listen for Quail without success, but I’ll be trying again on our next visit.

2012 Dawn Chorus

The Dawn Chorus coincided with one of the few mornings without any rain.  A Barn Owl flew alongside as we approached the wood.  It was very dark when we arrived at the woodland to the songs of Robins & Blackbirds.  The most noticeable sound at first was a male Tawny Owl which called several times & seemed to be leading us along the path.  Eventually, a female also called, and there was also what sounded like the call of a chick.

Only resident birds sang at first followed by a Willow Warbler then a Blackcap, and then the Chiffchaffs started up.  It wasn’t a really bright morning, so the actual sightings of the singing birds was on the low side.  It reached a very muddy spot where both of my boots let in the water & Liz ‘s wellies were swallowed by the mud & one of them had to be pulled out!  The water up to my ankles felt icy cold at first, but constant walking seemed to raise the temperature a little.  A Treecreeper was heard, but stubbornly remained hidden in the gloom.

The heath seemed pretty sterile with just another Willow Warbler heard.  A couple of Red-legged Partridges and a Hare ran across a bare field, but they didn’t contribute to the aural atmosphere.  At this point Lisa slipped into pole position and a few minutes later flushed a bird which she thought may have been a Sparrowhawk.  However, Brian spotted it had very pointed wings, and that added to its flight from the ground leads me to believe it was a Woodcock.  A Marsh Tit was the only other bird of interest along this path.  

Laughing Green Woodpeckers punctuated the morning a few times, but on the return journey I was stopped in my tracks by a nasal twang – sure enough a single Brambling seemed to be pecking at Silver Birch buds or catkins at the top of a tree.  This remained in place long enough for everyone to see it & was a ‘lifer’ for Pam.  A Swallow, some Shelduck & Greylag Geese flew over us when we reached the heath again.  A pair of yellowhammers stopped off briefly, and some Skylarks serenaded us.  A Roe Deer leaped through a crop & travelled away from us.  In this strange late Spring the obvious holes in the chorus were a lack of Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Cuckoo & Turtle Dove – let’s hope they will soon be with us.

When I got back home a Brambling turned up there too & on taking my nephew round the Sunk Island area we saw our first Cuckoo of the year.

Brambling - waiting for me at home

 Brambling - as it was during the Dawn Chorus

 Woodcock - seen by 2 people on the Dawn Chorus

(an old pic from Tophill Low)

 Brambling at Home

 ditto

 Song Thrush - another unusual visitor at home

 Cuckoo - as photographed after the Dawn Chorus near Patrington

Topsy-Turvy Seasons

We have been rained on quite a lot this week, so we fled to Tophill Low Tuesday & Wednesday where there are plenty of hides.  There was evidence of virtually all of the seasons, and the temperature was certainly cool during the rain showers.  However, in any prolonged sunshine it became quite warm.  The wildlife mirrored these topsy-turvy conditions.  The biggest surprise was a Swift at Watton Borrow Pits, and later seen all over the reserve. I can't remember when I last saw a Swift in April, usually they are first spotted in the first few days of May.  This year I've seen a Swift before a Sand Martin, which usually arrive in good numbers in March!  Just before lunch time Richard Hampshire, reserve warden, identified and photographed a Meditteranean Gull, but when the classes went to see it in pouring rain it had left South Marsh East, but no doubt it will return.

Other highlights included a Tawny Owl seen from the car park, a pair of Pintail [winter], a Yellow Wagtail Tues (pm) [spring], and many of the usual suspects.  The Leech located by Tony and Miles was less usual.  Overall we totalled over 50 species on each daily visit, which is an excellent tally considering the (at times) miserable weather conditions.

Swift (c) 2012 Richard Hampshire - a new earliest arrival site record?

Mediterranean Gull [right] (c) 2012 Richard Hampshire

Mediterranean Gull [right] (c) 2012 Richard Hampshire

 Pintail [drake] (c) 2012 Aileen Urquhart

 Pintail [female] (c) 2012 Aileen Urquhart

 Tawny Owl (c) 2012 Chris Cox

 Common Tern

 Willow Warbler

 Shoveler

 Lapwing

Reed Bunting

Wigeon

Kestrel with Prey

Shelduck (c) 2012 Aileen Urquhart

Marsh harrier (c) 2012 Tony Robinson

Record shot of Yellow Wagtail

Leech (c) (c) 2012 Tony Robinson

Bee Species