Larks, Swallows, Pipits, Wagtails

Skylark (Sky Lark) Alauda arvensis

This famous songster is a regular breeding bird in the Hull area. They can be heard delivering their complex and melodious song from way up high in many outlying areas of the city and beyond. The Skylark is also a relatively common passage migrant in the area and may be seen or heard overhead right up to the city centre, although they are generally quite scarce in winter. The Wildfowl at Hull decree of 1560, which listed game prices in the town, set the price of a dozen "Larkes" at fourpence. Migrant Skylarks and other songbirds, loaded with sweet fat to fuel their journey, are still popular delicacies in many parts of the Mediterranean but today in Britain we only appreciate them for their song. At the beginning of the 20^th Century the Skylark was still a common passage migrant over Hull but there were no specific breeding records from that time. This was more than likely due to the simple fact that Skylarks were breeding in most open spaces and were therefore so common as not to warrant a mention. By the 1960s the Skylark was described as a resident bird that bred in fairly open, rough grassy areas. The abundance on passage was remarked upon once more and migrants were regular over the city centre in October and November. Even after the autumn passage had peaked, and the flocks had moved on ahead of the oncoming winter, large numbers of Skylarks could still be driven over the Hull area in front of severe weather. On 21^st January 1970 a total of 1,000 were counted passing over East Park, with 2,000 heading south over Kirk Ella during snowy weather on 31^st January 1972.

In the early 1980s the Skylark was found to be a widespread and common breeding bird in farmland around Cottingham and northwest Hull. Around a dozen pairs were also breeding around Saltend and the eastern docks in the mid 1980s. Intensive observation in this southeast corner at that time gave a detailed picture of the autumn passage and hard-weather movements of Skylarks in winter. In November and December 1984 up to 30 birds could to be counted passing over on each visit. A similar number were moving south each day in September and early October 1985 and up to 40 were grounded on most days. There were big movements ahead of bad weather: 395 headed southwest on 13^th January 1985, with 66 on 17^th and 55 on 18^th. A further 218 moved west-southwest on 28^th December 1985 and 240 went south on 6^th February 1986. Notable flocks could occasionally be grounded inland, with 36 on Willerby Low Road on 7^th January 1984 and 40 at Bransholme on 19^th December 1989.

A pair of Skylarks bred in Hedon Road Cemetery in 1979 and a lone bird has sung overhead most years since, albeit less regularly since the 1990s. Between 10 and 20 pairs were breeding in the rough grassland and weedy arable fields between North Bransholme and the Holderness Drain during the 1980s and early 1990s. Regular observation at this site over several years gave a good impression of the movements of Skylarks through the seasons, with birds often being absent in January and February before the breeding birds arrived and started singing in early March. The number of singing birds peaked in May but Skylarks were usually scarce from late July to late September as local birds headed south for the winter. Autumn migrants from the Continent arrived from late September onwards, usually in flocks of between 20 and 30, but occurrences were irregular and most had moved out again by late December.

It was clear by the mid 1990s that all was not well with Britain's Skylarks. National surveys around that time revealed that the breeding population had more than halved in the last quarter of the 20^th Century. The decline was blamed on the intensification of agriculture that had rid the arable fields of the weeds and insects that Skylarks depend on. Recent breeding records include three pairs off Priory Road in 1996, several on the Priory Sidings in 1998, one singing over Anlaby Common in 1999 and another over Victoria Dock in 2000, but the pesticides on the farmland, the development and 'tidying-up' of many rough areas throughout the Hull area has hit our local Skylarks fairly hard and they are nowhere near as common as they were just a generation ago. There are still around a dozen pairs breeding at North Bransholme, with a good winter flock of 65 there in December 1999, but this is probably the largest breeding concentration in the Hull boundary now, with increasingly fewer around the outlying towns and villages.

Shorelark (Horned Lark) Eremophila alpestris

On 5^th January 1997 R. Baines watched a lone Shorelark for 2 hours near the West Wharf at Victoria Dock. This is the only record of this Scandinavian species in the Hull area, which is very rare away from its irregular wintering areas on the coast of eastern England.

Sand Martin Riparia riparia

The first Sand Martins to reach the Hull area typically arrive around the beginning of April. They are rather scarce passage migrants inland, however, as there are no major bodies of water to attract them in any numbers or for any length of time. The nearest nesting site to Hull is at Redcliff, North Ferriby, where around 15 pairs were breeding in the late 1990s.

The larger lakes, namely East Park Lake, Pickering Park Lake and the Bransholme Sewage Works reservoir, are the most regular sites for Sand Martins in Hull. Six were over East Park Lake on 5^th April 1943, with the first ones of 1944 there again on the same date. This is the earliest recorded arrival date for the Hull area. Boylan (1967) reported Sand Martins as being scarce spring passage migrants in Hull during the 1960s and this pretty much holds true for today, except that they are just as likely to occur in autumn. Bonavia (1990) stated that they were regular on passage in small numbers during the 1980s, mainly along the River Hull. Between 1992 and 1993 I found them to be scarce but regular on passage at the Bransholme Sewage Works.

Spring passage often peaks in May, though nowhere sees more than a handful of birds and usually only on a very few days. Autumn passage begins around early July and lasts until late September, involving a similar number of birds. The latest autumn date I have come across involved four birds passing quickly through the Bransholme Sewage Works on 1^st October 2000. Most records involve birds doing just this, passing straight through and barely stopping to snatch a fly or two.

Swallow (Barn Swallow) Hirundo rustica

Everyone knows the Swallow in popular folklore as the harbinger of spring, although the average 'man-in-the-street' would probably struggle to identify one. Country people know them well, however, as the Swallow relies almost exclusively on man-made constructions for its nesting sites. Much superstition grew up around the Swallow in years gone by that is now largely forgotten. Nelson (1907) tells us that rural Victorians in the East Riding considered it very bad luck to rob or destroy a Swallow's nest, going on to recount the tale of the sons of a Hull banker who cleared out such a nest from a farm their father owned on the outskirts of Hull. The farmer's wife told how "the bank broke soon after, and, poor things, the family have had nought but trouble since". It is stories such as this that led to tolerance of the nesting habits of the Swallow. In June 1887, when a pair decided to build their nest on a curtain pole inside the open window of a country house near Cottingham, they were left alone and reared their brood in peace. Perhaps the householder was a banker?! Swallows generally arrive in the Hull area around the third or fourth week of April, after marathon flights from winter quarters as far south as South Africa. The earliest was one in Hull on 18^th March 1945. Birds were breeding around Park Grove at the beginning of the 20^th Century while nesting occurred as close to the city centre as the old botanic gardens in West Park during the 1960s. Other regular breeding sites around that time were an old shed at Northern Cemetery and a garage on Park Lane, Cottingham. A pair bred in an outbuilding at Hedon Road Cemetery between 1969 and 1973 but only once since, in 1985, although the nest still remains intact.

Bonavia (1990) described Swallows as common breeders and passage migrants around Cottingham in the 1980s. A pair bred in an old railway carriage near Saltend in 1984 and 1985 and three or four pairs have bred around the farms and pumping station between North Bransholme and the Holderness Drain since the late 1980s. Over 20 pairs were nesting around farms off Priory Road in 1996 and three broods were reared in a shed at Bamforth Farm in Wawne the same year, but the regular nest site in the Avenues was deserted that year. A pair regularly nests in the derelict buildings at the Bransholme Sewage Works and there can be few farms, barns or outbuildings on the outskirts of Hull and into the East Riding that do not have Swallows each summer. Spring passage in the Hull area is significant but much less pronounced than in autumn. Swallows were noted to be very numerous at Saltend as far back as 23^rd May 1901. Up to 40 could still be found flitting around there in May during the mid 1980s, though numbers rarely exceeded 10 in June and July 1985. A similar number of spring passage birds could be found at North Bransholme in the early 1990s. Between five and 15 were seen at the Bransholme Sewage Works is spring and early summer during the same period.

Birds begin to move through again in August, invariably heading south, and numbers build to a peak in September. Flocks of up to 50 birds are commonly seen over the Bransholme Sewage Works reservoir at this time. Similar numbers coccur over the rough grassland at North Bransholme and up to 60 were around Swine Bank, off Priory Road, in 1996. Some flocks linger for a few days while others pass straight through. They may gather anywhere that offers shelter from the wind and plenty of insects, with water and the scattered trees of the parks and cemeteries being favourite places. Large, loose flocks of up to 100 birds were gathered around Sutton and Saltshouse Road in late September and early October 1993, no doubt finding food and shelter among the old parkland trees. Temporary roosts can attract large numbers of passage birds for a few weeks during autumn. A total of 200 were dropping down to roost at Saltend Marsh on 29^th August 1984. This built up to 1,200 by 1^st September, with 300 in September the following year. Most Swallows have left the Hull area by the beginning of October. Late flocks can occasionally be found until the end of the first week of that month and stragglers until the third week. The latest sightings were at Saltshouse Road on 21^st October 1993 and the Humber Bridge on 6^th November 2000.

House Martin Delichon urbica

A thinly distributed breeding bird throughout the Hull area, the House Martin is nevertheless a common passage migrant and familiar summer visitor. Often associating with Swallows on passage and when feeding, House Martins tend to arrive around Hull a little later than that species, usually in the last week of April. The earliest date I have is 18^th April 1993. House Martins have been breeding around Hull for many years. Nesting was noted around Pearson Park at the beginning of the 20^th Century and small colonies persist on the Chanterlands and Newland Avenues to this day. Birds were breeding on the Malet Lambert School, near East Park, in the 1940s. Two pairs still had young in the nest there on the extremely late date of 15^th November in 1942 and a full grown bird was found freshly dead eight days later. There was a breeding colony on the North Hull Estate in the early 1960s at least and Bonavia (1990) reported that breeding was common around Cottingham in the 1980s. Several pairs were nesting on houses off Cottingham’s South Street in 1996 and others were at Wood Farm, at the top of Priory Road.

In May 1991 I discovered a small colony of around 10 to 15 pairs of House Martins at the Dulverton Close end of Bude Road, Bransholme. The remains of old nests indicated that House Martins had been breeding here for a few years and some residents had attached tassels under their eaves to deter the birds from building. Just a handful of birds nested there in 1992 and by 1993 there were none, although around five pairs had relocated a short distance away to the Holwell Road area.

A colony has existed on the Southcoates Junior School, off Southcoates Lane in East Hull, since at least the 1970s although the number of nests has decreased since then. House Martins will readily take to the eaves of new housing if conditions are right, however, and several pairs have recently begun to nest in the new Victoria Dock Village. A few pairs have also nested down Durham Street, between Garden Village and Holderness Road, during the 1990s. Other small colonies are scattered throughout the towns and villages surrounding Hull but most correspondents indicate that the number of breeding House Martins in the Hull area has declined markedly since the 1980s. Each colony, therefore, becomes more precious each year and House Martins should be encouraged wherever possible. Indeed, the erection of artificial nests on suitable buildings may help establish new colonies.

As a passage migrant the House Martin is a widespread and occasionally abundant bird. Spring passage peaks in May and this species, along with the Swallow, was reported to be "very numerous" at Saltend on 23^rd May 1901. Numbers rarely exceeded a dozen at Saltend in the spring of 1985 but around 20 could be found over the Bransholme Sewage Works reservoir on many May days in the early 1990s. House Martins typically become scarcer during June and July, reflecting the relatively small breeding population, but numbers build in August as young birds fledge and autumn passage begins. A flock of around 80 birds, many of them juveniles, were milling around over the Loatleys Fields, off Priory Road, in August 1996. August 1998 saw over 200 gathering at Howdale Road in East Hull. I noted large flocks of House Martins and Swallows gathering around nearby Saltshouse Road in September 1993; over 100 could be found there on many days in the last week of the month and several dozen were still present on 5^th October. Numerous parties of up to 20 birds were also observed heading south over North Bransholme, in the company of Swallows and a few late Swifts, during the third week of September that year.

The influx of passage birds results in counts of 50 birds or more over the Bransholme Sewage Works reservoir in August and September. Up to 25 have been seen at Saltend in September although the majority will have left the Hull area by the end of that month. Stragglers often pass through during the first or second week of October, however, but November records are rare. Aside from the Malet Lambert birds in 1942, mentioned above, the only other November record is of a single bird over the city on 10^th November 1949.

Richard's Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae

On 5^th October 1986 S. M. Lister watched a Richard's Pipit on the shore at Paull Holme Sands and followed it upriver as it made its way towards Paull. The Paull Holme Sands are just outside the area covered by this book, but this record is included here on the grounds that the bird eventually made its way close enough to Paull to be considered valid. Richard's Pipits breed from western Siberia to Mongolia, wintering from India through to southeast Asia. Very small numbers regularly turn up on the Yorkshire coast from mid September to mid November. In addition to the above record, two other Richard's Pipits have been found at Paull Holme Sands in the past quarter of a century. Others have made it to Pulfin Bog and Tophill Low (near Beverley) and as far inland as South Yorkshire, so the Hull area is well within range for another visit.

Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris

On the early morning of 21^st September 1985 S. L. James flushed a large pipit at the edge of Saltend Marsh. The calls and flash of the tail pattern as the bird flew off immediately encouraged James to search for it and he relocated it just after midday in the area of the sluice gate. The bird was then flushed again and called with a harsh "splezz", followed by a "chirrup", as it went, prompting James to confidently identify it as a Tawny Pipit as it flew overhead. The bird was followed but was very secretive, often hiding in long grass, but James finally saw it well on the ground and took a detailed description. This appeared in the 1985 Saltend and Hull Docks Bird Report. The bird was still present the next day, being seen by around 60 other birdwatchers, but flew off north in the late afternoon. The record was accepted by the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union and published as a juvenile Tawny Pipit in the 1985 Ornithological Report.

At least one prominent birdwatcher has since questioned the identification, however, and there are several bones of contention. Firstly, doubts are raised by the fact that the calls described could equally apply to the rather similar Richards' Pipit. Additionally, one of the most pertinent distinguishing features between Richard’s and Tawny Pipits, the presence or absence of a dark loral line, was not mentioned. There is also confusion between the malar and moustachial stripe in James' description. All this is compounded by the possibility that, besides James, just one other observer actually saw the bird on the ground. Indeed, it was felt by some that certain aspects of the written description actually suggested Richards' Pipit over Tawny Pipit. This is all a bit academic, though, as the record was passed by the YNU rarities panel so officially stands.

Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis

The Tree Pipit is, at best, an uncommon passage migrant in the Hull area. The earliest documented occurrence comes from 1947 when the first Yorkshire bird of the spring was seen at Hull on 13^th April. Boylan (1967) gives only two passage records between 1960 and 1966, though Brian Fendley saw two at Kerry Woods, Kirk Ella, on 18^th August 1979. The intensive coverage of the Saltend area in 1985 and 1986 revealed a very light passage of Tree Pipits in both spring and autumn. Two birds were loggd there in the first half of May and a further eight between mid August and mid September, the majority in the last week of August. The most recent record was of two birds at Saltend on 6^th October 1998, though it is likely that the majority of Tree Pipits pass through unseen or unrecorded.

Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis

Meadow Pipits occur in the Hull area wherever there is sufficient rough grassland to support them. Things do not seem to have changed much since 1967, when Boylan stated that Meadow Pipits bred sparingly within the old Hull boundary. They were also fairly common on passage when birds could frequently be seen and heard passing over the city centre. I've not heard of Meadow Pipits coming to suburban gardens in winter these days, as they did in Boylan's time, although the smaller gardens of the new suburbs are probably less enticing.

Suburban breeding occurred during the 1960s in an area of weedy ground known as the 'Woolsheds', which lay to the west of Chanterlands Avenue abutting Northern Cemetery, but this ground has long since been tidied up. Up to 18 pairs were breeding on Saltend Marsh in the mid 1980s and another pair was on St. Andrew's Dock. Small numbers were also breeding around Cottingham in the 1980s and at least one pair still rears young on the Priory Road fields. Up to 10 pairs have bred on the rough grassland between Foredyke Stream and Bransholme Road, east of the Bransholme housing estate, since at least the 1980s. Many more do so on nearby North Carr. A pair bred on the strip of rough grassland between Old Main Drain and Cumbrian Way on North Bransholme until the city Council began mowing it, though up to two pairs still breed on the Priory Sidings (off Clive Sullivan Way). Others possibly do so on what is left of the Rockford Fields (behind Chamberlain Road) and doubtless many other places.

Meadow Pipits largely desert their nesting grounds between late November and March. Spring and autumn passage often leads to a noticeable increase in the number of birds on the ground, however, as well producing a constant stream of birds overhead. Peak numbers on the ground at North Bransholme usually occur from August to late October, when 20 or more may be flushed from the fields. Around 100 were grounded at Saltend on 23^rd September 1985 while 180 passed south overhead. In the same period almost 400 birds flew south there on just one September day and up to 60 were grounded in October. More recently 80 were grounded at Saltend on 6^th October 1998. There are typically less than 10 birds in this area after November, but just after Christmas 2000 I counted more than 20 scratching a living on the Humber embankment at Paull, the only snow-free patch of grass around. Spring passage can be just as impressive as the autumn period; 220 flew northwest over Kirk Ella on 17^th April 1970, with 110 going north on 13^th April 1972.

Development and general tidying up of the pockets of rough grassland throughout the Hull area have deprived many Meadow Pipits of their nesting sites. It is still possible to see their parachuting display flight in many places around the outskirts and beyond, however, usually from late March until June or July. Passage birds, meanwhile, can be heard giving their 'seep' call note overhead almost anywhere.

Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus

The nearest breeding Rock Pipits to the Hull area are on the cliffs at Flamborough but the species is a regular, if scarce, winter visitor and passage migrant on the Humber waterfront. This is more or less how Boylan (1967) described their status in Hull during the 1960s - a scarce winter visitor that could turn up anywhere on the waterfront - but he also mentioned that they had occurred on the River Hull in the north of the city.

There were no more reports of Rock Pipits around Hull until the mid 1980s, when small numbers were again found to be visiting the Humber waterfront. Close scrutiny of birds around Saltend and Paull seemed to reveal the presence of both the British race (Anthus petrosus petrosus) and the Scandinavian race (Anthus petrosus littoralis) of Rock Pipit. This raised intriguing questions regarding the species movements in the Hull area. Birds of the Scandinavian race began appearing on the Humber embankment or around the docks in late September, with up to a dozen at any one time. They had apparently left by mid October, only to be replaced by a similar number of British birds. These remained throughout the winter, on and off, until around mid March. Scandinavian birds, easily recognisable in full or part summer plumage, then appeared again for a couple of weeks.

This situation continues up to the present day. Peak day counts at places such as Paull and Saltend may reach half a dozen, but mystery still surrounds the movement of the individual races. It could be that the Scandinavian race is purely a passage migrant, moving through the Hull area in September/October and again in late March/early April. This would make the British birds winter visitors between late October and mid March. The alternative theory is that the vast majority of birds seen in the Hull area are Scandinavian. These birds are recognisable in autumn as they arrive in the remnants of their characteristic summer plumage. Once they moult into winter plumage, however, they are very similar to British birds and only reveal themselves as Scandinavian when they moult back into summer plumage the following spring. Recent opinion leans towards the latter scenario, but close examination of birds in the hand or the results of genetic analysis would be interesting and useful in clearing this up.

Whatever the origin and racial identity of the Rock Pipits, a handful of birds can be found anywhere from the Humber Bridge to Paull between late September and early April. Sightings away from the Humber are very rare, with the only recent record being of a single bird at the Bransholme Sewage Works on 14^th March 2000. It is likely that many go unnoticed and close scrutiny of pipits beside any watery habitats may well reveal a few more.

Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta

Water Pipits are scarce winter visitors and passage migrants in East Yorkshire, being treated as a race of our Rock Pipit until 1986. Two birds, reported as the spinoletta race of Rock Pipit, at Saltend on 28^th October 1985 would now be classified as Water Pipits, as would the one seen there again the next day. The only other record for the Hull area is of a single seen at Saltend by B. Richards on 7^th April 1998. Others must surely have occurred over the years and gone unrecorded, the similarity to Rock Pipit perhaps masking appearances during autumn or winter when the two species are similar in plumage. Areas with a strong freshwater element are, as the name suggests, the most likely places to find a Water Pipit at any time from autumn through to spring, with Saltend being the clear favourite.

Yellow Wagtail Montacilla flava

The British race of the Yellow Wagtail, M. f. flavissima, starts to reach the Hull area from its African wintering grounds between mid April and the first week of May. The earliest arrival was a bird at Cottingham on 11^th April 1910. Peak spring passage occurs in the first two weeks of May. Birds are nowhere numerous these days and a handful per year is the most that individual locations can expect to see. Few, if any, stay to nest in the area now, with suspected breeding at Hull’s east and west waterfronts in the early 1960s and two pairs seen carrying food into wheat fields north of Wawne in July 1994 being the only indications over the last 40 years. Yellow Wagtails were more numerous at the turn of the last century than today, with John Nicholson noting them as occasional visitors to his Hull garden in 1901. Reports were contradictory during the middle of the century, with the species being described as "very plentiful" around Hull in 1942 but "sparsely distributed in the East Riding" the following year. Yellow Wagtails have certainly been a little scarce in the Hull area since at least the 1960s, in line with the national decline in numbers during the latter half of the 20^th Century. Back then records averaged a little over one per year within the old city boundary. During the 1980s Bonavia (1990) described them as only "occasional" around Cottingham and they were just about annual at Bransholme in the 1990s.

Farms and wet, preferably grazed, grassy areas are the preferred stopover sites in spring, though one was seen in Queen's Gardens in the early 1960s. Migrants may also be located passing overhead, giving their characteristic whistle as they bound towards the horizon, and some years this is all one may see of them. Autumn passage is not usually as heavy as during the spring, lasting from August to mid September, although larger parties may be involved. Fourteen roosting at Saltend on 10^th September 1998 is by far the largest number recorded in the area. A male of the nominate Blue-headed race, M. f. flava, from Central Europe, was at Paull lighthouse on 16^th May 1997.

Grey Wagtail Montacilla cinerea

A scarce but regular winter visitor from fast-flowing upland streams, Grey Wagtails can occasionally be found near any stretch of water in the Hull area from September to April. The majority of sightings occur between October and December. Bransholme Sewage Works is a favourite site for this species and a couple are seen each year around the filter beds or next to the reservoir. Two together is not infrequent there and no fewer than nine were roosting at nearby Sutton Road Bridge on 29^th September 2000. Saltend and the docks have produced many sightings over the years, although birds can turn up literally anywhere. One trying to land on the fountain in Queen's Gardens in December 1988 emphasised the attraction of running water for the species, while another wintered at nearby Prince’s Quay in 1998. Indeed, wintering birds were regular in the city centre and around the River Hull in the 1960s and probably still are. The parks are also a good place to look out for Grey Wagtails, with no less than three in East Park on 24^th September 1997. Two were present in East Park from October to December as far back as 1943 and again as recently as October 1998. Singles were also seen in the Pearson Park Wildlife Garden in February and December 1996. Other places to host a bird or two in recent years include the Humber Bridge Country Park, the Foredyke Stream at North Bransholme, Oak Road Playing Fields, Hedon Road Cemetery, Ryde Avenue in Newland, Hull Marina and the Victoria Dock development. Such a spread clearly indicates that not all urban or suburban wagtails should immediately be dismissed as Pied.

On 9^th June 2001 I was surprised to see an unseasonal Grey Wagtail at the Bransholme Sewage Works. I was even more shocked when it was joined by a second. The birds appeared to be an adult female and an immature, the latter seemingly independent and complete with a full-length tail. Their presence at the height of the breeding season indicates that breeding may have occurred locally that year.

Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii

The cheery Pied Wagtail, still known among some Hull folk as the ‘Willy Wagtail’ or ‘Paddy Wagtail’, is a widespread and not uncommon bird throughout the area. The species is familiar to many due to its close association with urban and suburban habitats, earning its name with a constant bobbing of the tail. Advertising itself with a breezy "chissik!", a Pied Wagtail can often be seen running across car parks or school playgrounds, especially after rain, in farmyards or beside one of the park lakes or other stretches of water. They can be found all year round in the Hull area, being quite thinly distributed as a breeding bird but often forming flocks to feed and roost at favoured areas during winter. Boylan (1967) regarded the Pied Wagtail as a resident bird that bred sparingly throughout Hull during the 1960s. It was also a frequent visitor to the city centre and Northern Cemetery in autumn and winter. A pair nested under the ornamental bridge over East Park Lake in 1967, and no doubt many times since, and an albino bird was seen there in September 1953. Bonavia (1990) listed the Pied Wagtail as an uncommon and localised bird around Cottingham and northwest Hull in the 1980s. The species was nevertheless present all year round and was often seen at the University of Hull campus, Cottingham Road, and on the Priory Road fields in winter.

A large winter roost was established at the Saltend chemical plant until 1981. A total of 221 birds arrived from the north/northwest in the half an hour before dusk on 14^th February 1980 to spend the night on a warm 'drumming shed' roof. This roost had decreased to just 30 or so birds in 1985/1986, between October and February, with a couple of pairs remaining to breed each summer.

One or two pairs of Pied Wagtails were regularly seen at North Bransholme during the early 1990s, usually around the farms. In 1989 a pair nested on a classroom shelf at the newly opened Perronet Thompson School (now called Kingswood High) on Wawne Road, gaining access to the building via an air vent. I found Pied Wagtails to be common at the Bransholme Sewage Works in the early 1990s, with at least one breeding pair in summer and a wintering flock of 70 or more between late October and early April. The wintering flock at the Sewage Works appeared to grow throughout the 1990s, with 114 in January 1998 and 184 in February 2000. The filter beds that the birds found so attractive are now abandoned, however, and I struggled to find a mere handful in late 2000. Good numbers can sometimes be found in East Park though, and 28 were counted in March 1998.

Other recent nesting sites round and about Hull have included Willerby Carr Farm in the west, Wawne's Bamforth Farm in the north (where a pair built their nest on top of an old blackbird nest in a shed) and Hedon Road Cemetery in the east.

‘White Wagtail’ Motacilla alba alba

The silvery-backed White Wagtail, the Continental race of our Pied Wagtail, is a scarce spring passage migrant in the Hull area. Boylan (1967) mentions one in Queen's Gardens sometime between 1960 and 1966 but the next recorded instance was not until 1997, when one was seen in East Park on 10^th and 14^th March. One at Bransholme on 7^th May the following year is the most recent record but they are almost certainly under recorded.