Swans, Geese and Ducks
Mute Swan Cygnus olor
It is unclear whether the Mute Swan is a native British bird or whether the Normans, or perhaps the Romans, introduced it from the Continent. The species is now established throughout Britain but has never been common in the Hull area due to the restricted number of water bodies large enough to support it. Mute Swans were first introduced to East Park in 1902 and they were still mainly restricted to the larger parks in the 1960s, where they bred irregularly. This is largely the case today though breeding can perhaps be described as regular at several sites.
East Park has a pair of breeding Mute Swans each year but they only ever manage to raise one or two cygnets at best from the usual clutch of six eggs. A pair also bred on the Barmston Drain behind Beresford Avenue, on Beverley Road, for most of the 1990s. This pair often attracted unwanted attention, however, with the male being shot while the female sat on the nest in May 1994. In 2000 a pair here were again attacked as they nested, this time by stone-throwing youths, but a family group seen nearby later that summer indicates that they escaped unharmed. Breeding has also occurred at Pickering Park on many occasions and, for the first time, a pair raised three young at the Bransholme Sewage Works in 2000. The reservoir at the Bransholme Sewage Works often holds the largest numbers of Mute Swans in the Hull area, with birds seen regularly during winter in the 1980s. Up to eight birds wintered at this site in the early 1990s with an unprecedented 34 in October 1997. Pairs or family groups regularly visit the Holderness Drain at North Bransholme, occurring in every month except midsummer though again they are not always left unmolested. Just before Christmas in 1995 a web of Nylon fishing line spanned the drain in what seemed like a bizarre attempt to snare a pair that had arrived a few days before. A week later a plastic bag containing the head, wings, feet and feathers of an adult Mute Swan was found dumped nearby. It seems a Christmas turkey isn't good enough for some people.
Mute Swans often become scarce in late summer as many birds leave to undergo their moult at traditional gathering places such as Hornsea Mere. Numbers build again from September and an extra pair or two can be found at East Park, on the larger drains and ponds or even on the Humber until they leave to find nesting sites in March. Breeding birds will not tolerate any other Swans on their stretch of water and violent fights can be witnessed during April and May as the males slug it out for territory.
Bewick's Swan (Tundra Swan) Cygnus columbianus
Bewick's Swans are irregular winter visitors and passage migrants in East Yorkshire. Flying thousands of miles to Britain from their breeding grounds on the Eurasian tundra, sightings have always been rather rare in the Hull area. A flock of 23 was on the Humber off Paull on 8th November 1970, with two adults flying up and down the estuary off nearby Saltend on 18th November 1985 before eventually leaving to the east. The following month 10 adults and three immatures were on the Humber off Saltend on 2nd December. More recently five flew south over Anlaby on 12th October 2000. It is noticeable that all of these records concern birds on, or on their way to, the Humber in autumn.
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus
Whooper Swans are winter visitors to Britain from Iceland and they tend to stick to traditional wintering grounds, such as the Ouse Washes in Cambridgeshire, but can also be seen outside of these areas on occasion. Unfortunately the Hull area does not hold a regular wintering site for Whooper Swans and those that are seen are usually just passing over en-route to somewhere else.
The largest number of Whooper Swans ever seen in the Hull area occurred on 6th November 1981 when Brian Fendley witnessed an incredible flight of over 150 birds passing over Kirk Ella. Eleven on the reservoir at the Bransholme Sewage Works on 10th December 1984 was a rare stopover, while a one-legged bird in the company of a Mute Swan on the Holderness Drain, North Bransholme, in December 1991 was a curious record. Swans are one of the few birds that cannot survive with one leg as this renders them unable to walk or take off due to their great weight. The origins of this cripple are therefore a mystery and human interference cannot be ruled out.
In November 1996 David Turner witnessed 10 Whooper Swans flying over the Carr Lane Nurseries in East Hull. A tame bird, probably an escapee from a wildfowl collection, toured the Hull valley during 1997, being present at East Park until 5th March before being seen at Bransholme Sewage Works and elsewhere in East Yorkshire throughout the summer. The bird returned to East Park in September and stayed until 2nd January 1998. Three flying upstream at the Humber Bridge on 6th November 2000 were probably using the estuary to guide them inland to wintering sites in South and West Yorkshire.
November or December therefore seem the best time to look out for wild Whooper Swans as they pass through the Hull area, with any lone birds seen outside this time, particularly during the summer, highly likely to be feral.
Black Swan Cygnus atratus
The Black Swan is a resident of Australia and New Zealand but many are kept as ornamental wildfowl in Britain and despite their sedentary nature some birds nevertheless succumb to wanderlust, with sporadic breeding not unknown among feral birds. There is just one record for the Hull area, however, with a single bird appearing on the Bransholme Sewage Works reservoir during very cold weather in December 1984.
Bean Goose Anser fabalis
There are just three records of this goose, which hails from the Eurasian taiga region, occurring in the Hull area. The first was a dead bird picked up on Hessle Foreshore on 15th January 1950, though the tide may have carried it from anywhere. The next was a bit more lively and was flying east at Saltend in the company of 30 Pink-footed Geese on 4th April 1985 before flying back west a few minutes later. The only other bird was in East Park on 28th January 1987 though, as with any unusual waterfowl in East Park, the spectre of a captive origin hovers over this record.
Bean Geese are just about annual as winter visitors or passage migrants in East Yorkshire so it is likely that others have been missed in the Hull area or mistaken for the similar Pink-footed Goose, possibly along the Humber or in flight over the city.
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus
During much of the 20th Century the Humber estuary was a major haunt of the Pink-footed Geese that came from Iceland and eastern Greenland to winter in Britain. Up to 15,000 birds roosted on the upper estuary overnight and fed on the surrounding fields throughout the winter. The wild geese heard during winter nights over John Nicholson's Hull town house at the beginning of the 1900s were almost certainly Pinkfeet, and in October 1956 a memorable flight took place over Hull as large flocks of birds, numbering many hundreds, rose from the Humber and crossed over the southern half of the city on a broad front. The geese were still common winter visitors over Hull during the 1960s, with small skeins regularly seen over the western suburbs and occasionally elsewhere. Around that time, however, changes in farming practices in the principal feeding grounds on the Wolds meant that Humberside was becoming less attractive to Pinkfeet. In addition changes in Scottish agriculture, mainly the conversion of large areas of pasture to arable, meant that many Pinkfeet didn't bother flying the extra few hundred miles to the Humber. Up to 2,000 birds were still wintering around the Humber in the 1970s but the flock was halved by a poisoning incident in 1975 when around a thousand birds died after eating contaminated wheat. Numbers then declined rapidly during the 1980s and by 1990 just a few hundred were returning to the Humber each year.
The decrease in the local wintering population of Pink-footed Geese was reflected in the decrease in the number of skeins seen over the Hull area. A flock of 65 flying east over Saltend on 18th November 1985 and three flocks totalling 265 flying over on 27th December were notable records. A skein of 80 flew southeast over North Bransholme early one morning in October 1989 and a large skein, 250-strong, flew east to the north of Wawne on 5th March 1991. By now skeins were becoming quite infrequent and the species was best described as a passage migrant in the Hull area rather than a winter visitor. Few were seen during the early years of the 1990s, while 90 flying south over Victoria Dock on 25th November 1997 and 91 at Low Paull on 10th October 1999 were the only skeins reported in those years. An impressive 200 passed over the Avenues area of Hull on 5th February 2000 and this was followed by 170 flying southeast over the Bransholme Sewage Works on 21st October. This latter skein was seen to lose height a little as it passed over the city towards Saltend but as with many of the flocks these days, it was felt that the birds were probably heading for The Wash. Later that winter 260 flew south over Cottingham on 10th December, this being the largest single flock seen for many years and it was almost matched by the 250 that passed over Anlaby on 10th February 2001. A few days later, on 14th, another 70 flew west over the city centre.
One or two Pink-footed Geese are occasionally seen at East Park, with a pair on the lake on 16th November 1993, a single the following May and another during the last quarter of 1997. Their relative tameness means that these birds are probably feral. The first wild Pink-footed Geese are usually seen over the Hull area from mid October, with a peak during November and the last around mid March.
White-fronted Goose (Greater White-fronted Goose) Anser albifrons
All of the White-fronts reported in the Hull area have either been identified as or presumed to be birds of the Eurasian race, Anser albifrons albifrons, rather than members of the more westerly-wintering Greenland race, Anser albifrons flavirostris. One of the rarer geese in the Hull area, sightings are probably less than annual although it is a little more frequent elsewhere along the Humber. Described as a very rare winter visitor in 1960s Hull by the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists' Club, there were just three sightings between 1960 and 1966 including a small nocturnal party passing over on 12th December 1965. On 28th December 1984 four birds were on a floodwater pool at Willerby Carr Farm, north of Wold Road. There was a good run of records in the mid 1980s at Saltend and around the eastern docks when there was regular coverage of this area. The first was an adult at Saltend on 26th March 1985 while another flew northeast there on 18th December and seven were near the docks on 22nd February 1986. Six were at Saltend on 6th April and another four birds were near the docks again on 14th. A more recent record involves a first-winter bird at East Park on 11th April 1997, though its origins are perhaps a little more open to question.
The White-fronted Goose is therefore a rather rare, usually brief, winter visitor to the Hull area anytime between December and mid April. The Humber shore is by far the most likely place to see one.
Greylag Goose Anser anser
Greylag Geese probably bred quite naturally in the wetlands of the Hull area before drainage and hunting eradicated them from the region several hundred years ago. The species was then absent from the Hull area, except perhaps for the odd vagrant flock in winter, until the middle of the 20th Century when the Hull and District Wildfowlers Association introduced a small group onto East Park Lake. Several escaped in 1964 and toured the county, being seen on the Humber and Hornsea Mere, and this or other releases for shooting or ornamental purposes in the 1960s probably seeded the current feral population in the city. In 1967 just five were present in East Park in February and seven in December, while 165 were counted there on 15th January 1970. Breeding numbers remained low, however, well into the 1980s. By this time small flocks were present elsewhere in the area, with six in Pearson Park on Valentine's Day 1982 and up to 12 at Thwaite Hall Lake, Cottingham, where breeding occurred in 1984 and 1985 despite the taking of eggs. In 1986 a pair was suspected to have bred near Paull and other pairs were roaming as far as North Bransholme in the spring of 1989.
By the 1990s the population at East Park was well established and along with the flock at Hornsea Mere formed one of the largest subpopulations of feral Greylag Geese in England. In May 1993 the breeding flock at East Park numbered 95 adults and 57 young, while in May of the following year 207 adults had 47 young in tow. By 1997 the number of goslings hatched had reached 84 from 15 pairs, though only 34 young were hatched from five pairs the following year. The first goslings appear in April and most of the broods tend to hatch within a few weeks of each other. Hybridisation with other goose species is regular in East Park, with three Greylag x Canada Goose goslings reared in 1993 and up to seven such birds being present in recent years. Since the early 1990s a small number of Swan Geese (Anser cygnoides) have become incorporated into the Greylag flock. A total of 15 such hybrids had 11 goslings in May 1993, though the continued cross-hybridisation with Greylag Geese meant that only one Swan Goose x Greylag Goose hybrid could be picked out by October 2000.
A clear pattern of the annual flux in numbers at East Park became established during the 1990s. The low point, generally less than 100 birds, occurs in March, though this was as low as 11 in 1998. Numbers then build in April and May to a peak of up to 350 in June and July as adults from around the city gather to join the breeding flock and moult their flight feathers in relative safety. By August the number typically falls to around 230, slowly decreasing to fewer than 150 by February before dipping below 100 again in March.
Several pairs of Greylag Geese can also be found nesting at Pickering Park and small numbers often roam the Hull area in the autumn and winter months. A flock of 21 flew northeast over Saltend on 6th August 1985 and 30 flew west there on 19th August 1986, with single figures passing over from November to May. A flock of 16 was at North Bransholme on 4th November 1993 and up to five were around the Priory Road fields in early 1996. One or two Greylag Geese have also turned up at the Bransholme Sewage Works with flocks of Canada geese in autumn, flying from the parks in order to feed on the arable fields bordering the city. Relations between Greylags and the human visitors to Hull's parks are not always cordial. Letters occasionally appear in the local press berating the geese for fouling the grass, while in 2000 a man was prosecuted for throttling an over-enthusiastic Greylag Goose to death after it bit his daughter as she fed the ducks in Pickering Park.
Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
Snow Geese breed from Greenland across Arctic Canada and into Alaska, wintering in southern USA and Mexico, and are often recorded in Britain. While some of these records are of genuine transatlantic vagrants others are clearly escapes from captivity. Several small feral flocks also exist in Britain with the nearest of these being a group of white-phase birds based at the York University campus. The single record for the Hull area may well pre-date the York flock, but it too was almost certainly feral. In 1975 a white-phase adult Snow Goose was seen on 11th January and again on the 1st February at Hedon, with presumably the same bird later being seen at Spurn and Hornsea. White Greylag Geese have occasionally created confusion and one at the Bransholme Sewage Works was claimed as a Snow Goose in 1993. A white Greylag Goose, however, never shows the dark wingtips of a white-phase Snow Goose.
Ross's Goose Anser rossii
A Canadian species, Ross's Goose resembles a small white-phase Snow Goose and all British records are considered to have probably been escapes from wildfowl collections. One bird that certainly was of captive origin was an adult at East Park on 29th May 1997.
Swan Goose Anser cygnoides
A native of Siberia and China, Swan Geese (also known as 'Chinese Geese') were introduced to East Park during the 1960s and two were present in February 1967, with four the following December. During my visits to East Park in the early 1990s I noticed that several of the Anser geese were hybrids between Swan Geese and Greylag Geese. The presence of family parties where both parents where hybrids proved that the hybrids were fertile, and I counted 15 adult hybrids and 11 goslings in the park on 5th May 1993. All 26 were still present that July. Subsequent visits throughout the 1990s showed that the Swan Goose characteristics, notably the knob above the bill and the dark crown, were gradually being bred out of the hybrids as they cross bred with pure Greylag Geese and by October 2000 I could only pick out one bird with noticeable Swan Goose features.
Canada Goose Branta canadensis
The Canada Goose was introduced to Britain from North America in the 17th Century to grace St James' Park in London. The first birds to appear in Hull were introduced to East Park from Ripley, near Harrogate, by the Hull and District Wildfowlers Association in the 1950s. A small feral population was well established in the park by the 1960s, with two pairs breeding in 1967 and the resident flock hovering around the 20 mark. As early as 1962 there were enough Canada Geese to act as a source for other introductions at Brandesburton, Rise, Walkington and Wauldby. In 1963 another 12 birds were taken from East Park and released on Hornsea Mere. Canada Geese were breeding at East Park and perhaps Pickering Park throughout the 1980s. Numbers were never reported but were probably not more than a handful of pairs at each site. Birds were occasionally seen at Thwaite Hall Lake in Cottingham during this time and by the late 1980s large flocks were flying out of East Park to feed on autumn stubble fields around the outskirts of Hull. Late in the afternoon of 7th October 1989 over 100 Canada Geese were feeding on freshly sown wheat at North Bransholme before leaving noisily to the south after being shot at. In the early 1990s flocks were occasionally visiting the Bransholme Sewage Works in autumn and winter, with 1992 seeing up to 32 in August, 116 in September and 44 in November. Eighteen birds were present on two dates in August and October the following year. These birds sometimes had a couple of Barnacle Geese in tow, hinting at the East Park origins of the flock. Summer visits to this site by Canada Geese were very rare – a crippled bird stranded since 1991 attracted only the occasional companion in May or June until its death three years later.
Nesting starts at the beginning of April and by the end of the month the first goslings have appeared. In May 1993 a crèche of 23 young were accompanied by 23 adults in East Park and 18 young were raised the following year. Just one pair was breeding successfully by 1997, with the single brood of eight young containing two Greylag goslings. This unusual mix must have been the result of a Greylag Goose laying in a Canada Goose nest or an adoption soon after hatching. Both Greylag goslings survived their adoption, however, though only five of the Canada goslings fledged. Midsummer during the 1990s saw very large numbers of Canada Geese arriving to moult in the relative safety of East Park. In July 1993 a total of 341 birds were present on the lake, this being the highest count recorded in the Hull area. This was nearly matched the following year when 321 were counted in June. Overall, numbers occurring in East Park have increased slightly since the early 1990s and generally follow a clear annual pattern. Lowest counts are usually in spring when the birds are nesting and become territorial. At this time of year, between March and April, around 20 to 50 birds may be present with numbers building during May to maybe 100 by early June. The main summer build-up occurs from mid June to peak at anywhere between 100 to over 300 in July, though just 35 were present during July 1997. Birds then leave en masse after the moult, and by August fewer than 10 may remain. Numbers slowly creep back up in September and October to between 120 and 240 in November. Over 100 are usually present for the remainder of the winter but more than double this total may occur from time to time until birds begin to disperse again at the end of February.
The large numbers of Canada Geese that congregate at East Park are not totally benign, however. In 1998 I looked into the impact that waterfowl were having on the fertility of the lake and discovered hugely elevated nutrient levels in the water. Calculations and observations pointed to waterbirds as the primary source of the additional phosphorous and nitrogen, with Canada Geese being the main culprits (Broughton, 1998). This was party due to the Canada Goose’s habit of roosting on the water rather than on land, thereby adding much more nutrients to the lake than the more numerous Greylag Geese that roosted on land.
While East Park is the main site for Canada Geese in the Hull area they are also commonly found at Pearson Park and Pickering Park. Up to 60 were present at the former in January 1999 and breeding is occasional at the latter. Wandering flocks or individuals may sometimes be seen elsewhere as the birds move between waters or feeding areas. Twelve flying east at Victoria Dock on 18th February 1997 were possibly not local birds, though 144 at the Bransholme Sewage Works on 14th November 1998 certainly were. Hybridisation with Greylag Geese sometimes occurs and three or four such birds have been present at East Park since the early 1990s at least, with up to seven in 1998. Hull's Canada Geese, in common with all of those in Britain, are thought to be birds of one of the larger of the dozen or so races from North America. In 1985, however, S. L. James saw a dark, 'small race' Canada Goose drifting west up the Humber at Saltend on 4th February. B. Fendley saw what may have been the same bird, which he assigned to the race Branta canadensis minima, at Saltend on 16th November. This bird may have been a genuine trans-Atlantic vagrant but the apparently lengthy stay and the intermittent appearance of a similar bird at East Park and Hornsea Mere from November 1985 onwards could indicate a more suspect origin.
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
The Barnacle Goose has a surprisingly limited world distribution, breeding only in eastern Greenland, the Arctic islands of Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya and, very recently, on Gotland in the Baltic. Greenland birds migrate via Iceland to winter in Ireland and western Scotland, Svalbard birds pass through Norway to winter on the Scottish Solway Firth, while those from Novaya Zemlya winter in the Netherlands. It is birds from this last population that are most likely to turn up in a wild state in the Hull area.
A flock of 57 flying southeast over North Bransholme on 8th November 1993 were heading in the right direction for Holland and could have been genuine wild birds correcting themselves after crossing over to Britain. The Barnacle Geese most commonly seen around Hull, however, are from the small but increasing British feral population. Members of the Hull and District Wildfowlers Association released several Barnacle Geese onto East Park Lake in the early 1960s. Two were present on 4th February 1967, with one still there in December, and small numbers were present throughout the 1970s at least. A flock of over 100 feral birds have wintered at Hornsea Mere since the 1980s, spending their summers at Flamingoland in North Yorkshire, and this may be another source of some of the birds seen around Hull. A feral flock of up to 30 birds based at Whitton on the south bank of the Humber, upstream of Hull, since at least the mid 1990s may also account for some local sightings. In any event, feral Barnacle Geese are now a regular sight around Hull. One flying down the Humber off Saltend on 18th June 1986 was certainly feral, as were a pair among a mixed flock of Canada and Greylag Geese at the Bransholme Sewage Works on 29th August 1992.
A single Barnacle Goose was at East Park on 7th July 1993 and 12 were present during November, including at least eight immature birds. Three were back again in March 1994. In early 1997 up to 15 were present in East Park until March, when all but one departed. Thirteen arrived back to join the lone bird in late September, with a further three boosting the number to 17 from October. This small flock seems to have established a regular migratory pattern whereby they arrive to winter at East Park in September or October and leave in February or March to spend the summer elsewhere. At least one bird usually remains all year round. The winter flock numbered 16 in January 1998, being accompanied by a hybrid Barnacle x small race Canada Goose, before leaving for the summer. A trio of Barnacles returned in August before increasing to 14, plus the hybrid, from the end of September to the year end. The flock numbered eight in November 2000 before growing to 11 by December. Meanwhile, a party of 11 passing the Humber Bridge on 16th November 2000 may have been Whitton birds, perhaps on their way to East Park.
The East Park Barnacle Geese are clearly breeding and summering somewhere else, maybe elsewhere in Yorkshire or maybe at Whitton. The size of the wintering flock at East Park seems to have increased slightly during the 1990s and this trend looks set to continue. We may yet see Barnacle Geese establish themselves around Hull in the same manner as the familiar Greylags and Canadas.
Brent Goose Branta bernicla
The smallest of the regularly occurring geese in Britain, a sizeable flock of Brent Geese winters at the mouth of the Humber on both the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire sides. These birds are of the dark-bellied race, Branta bernicla bernicla, but are rarely recorded further up the Humber and I can list only a handful of documented instances.
Boylan (1967) reported two Brent Geese flying over the city centre on 16th March 1965. The next record was not for another 19 years, when one was at Saltend on 12th December 1984. Dedicated observation at Saltend in 1985 revealed one flying upstream on 2nd February, two on the following day and six going downstream on 6th. Another flew west on 18th and a trio flew up and down offshore the next day before eventually leaving to the east. A flock of 20, the highest number recorded in the Hull area, was on the Humber off Saltend on 6th February 1986 and nine were there again on 16th. Another was at Saltend on 6th October 1998 and five flew west over Hedon Haven on 20th September 1999. One flying up river on 20th October 1999 did an abrupt U-turn on reaching the Humber Bridge.
Others must have surely passed through the Hull area over the years, particularly at Saltend. The lack of regular watching and reporting since the 1980s means that the Brent Goose probably appears to be somewhat rarer in the Hull area than is actually the case.
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
In the 1881 Handbook of Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire W. Eagle Clarke mentions a Ruddy Shelduck killed at Cottingham in the mid 19th Century and seen by H.B. Hewetson. Nelson seemed unconvinced of the reliability of this record in his 1907 The Birds of Yorkshire. As with the similar record of Little Bittern there are good reasons for being cautious over such unsubstantiated claims but, again, there is no justification for dismissing it out of hand. It is simply another one of those cases where we shall never know for sure.
Shelduck (Common Shelduck) Tadorna tadorna
Shelducks are characteristic birds of the Humber mudflats and can usually be found at Saltend and west of St. Andrew's Quay throughout the year at low tide. In 1844 Thomas Allis wrote that Shelducks used to, and occasionally still did, nest in rabbit burrows a little north of the Humber banks, taking their young onto the estuary as soon as they are able to travel. The Humber banks in the Hull area were very likely to have been involved, at least occasionally.
Shelducks were familiar to the Hull game dealers at the beginning of the last century although they don't seem to have been popular table birds. In the winter of 1901 a few Hull game shops started displaying Shelducks in their windows just for ornamentation, an introduction of the 'exhibit' trend that started in London. This suggests that nobody really bought them for the meat.
A few pairs of Shelducks bred in the Hull area throughout the 20th Century. Two adults and six ducklings were seen in a field near Marfleet in June 1942 and breeding was probably occurring near the eastern docks in the 1960s at least. Gibbons et al. (1993), meanwhile, recorded breeding in all 10 km squares covering the Hull area between 1988 and 1991.
The Saltend mudflats are the main location for Shelducks in the Hull area and numbers have remained fairly constant since the mid 1980s, although monthly counts do fluctuate on an annual basis. Around 50 to 100 birds are present from January to March, with passage birds inflating this to as many as 200 in April and May. Summer sees a decrease to as few as 20 or 30 from June to October before a build up to between 50 and 100 again from November onwards. Again, I emphasise that numbers can be very variable; a maximum of nine in August 1998 compared with 450 in August 1999! This last figure accounted for around 15% of all Shelduck present along the entire length of the Humber at that time. The summer drop in numbers is explained by most birds moving away to breed, with those still present being non-breeding birds or failed breeders. Later in the summer most birds usually prefer to gather further down the Humber at Foulholme Sands to complete the annual moult. Numbers at the western foreshore, off Clive Sullivan Way, are tiny by comparison and often struggle to reach double figures at any time of year.
Traditionally, the whole of the northwest European population of Shelducks, including all of the British birds, migrated to the Heligoland Bight on the German coast to complete their wing-moult. The birds are flightless during this period, hence the need to migrate to a safe place, and outbound flocks were regularly seen flying down the Humber in July and early August. In the late 1970s, however, small numbers of Shelducks began staying on the Humber to moult, as at other British estuaries, and by 1980 there were up to 1,000 flightless birds loafing and feeding on Foulholme Sands (downstream of Paull) each July. The 450 birds present at Saltend in August 1999 indicates that this habit has possibly spread further along the estuary, though they may have just been some of the Foulholme birds coming up on the tide.
Shelducks are fairly regular on inland floodwaters and lakes in Hull and the surrounding area, particularly in April and usually in pairs. These birds are possibly looking for nesting sites. Extensive floods at North Bransholme in the spring of 1994 seemed to encourage a pair of Shelducks to consider nesting in one of the abandoned rabbit warrens nearby. They were seen on and off from late April to mid June, with a third bird joining them towards the end of their stay. No tangible evidence of breeding was forthcoming, however.
Back in 1967 four Shelducks were resident on East Park Lake throughout the year, these presumably being released from captivity in common with many other species on the lake at that time. On 22nd October 2000 I was pleasantly surprised to see a splendid male Shelduck near the duck feeding area at East Park. I was even more surprised when he joined in the scrum for bread with the other waterfowl, showing no wariness at all. The bird was still present at the year's end, though in light of his tameness a captive origin must be considered possible. This does not necessarily have to be the case, however, if one considers how readily the migratory Pochards and Tufted Ducks will come to bread once they see the local Mallards benefiting from it. You can never really be sure at East Park!
Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata
This South American species is frequent as a feral bird in Britain and small numbers have been present in East Park in recent years. Four were seen on 2nd January 1998 and three were at the duck feeding area off Hawkesbury Street during November 2000. These birds are probably resident. Small numbers have been seen elsewhere in East Yorkshire and it is likely that lack of recording masks other sightings and breeding records.
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
The male Mandarin Duck is spectacularly beautiful almost to the point of gaudiness. After becoming established in Britain during the 20th Century the feral population in this country now exceeds that in its native Far East, where it is endangered. Small numbers of Mandarin Ducks, probably wing-clipped or pinioned, were released onto East Park Lake during the 1950s and 1960s. Some could still be seen throughout the 1970s but they subsequently disappeared. It is not clear if breeding occurred there or whether the adults and any progeny eventually flew off, were returned to captivity or simply died. Whatever the case, no free-living birds occur in the park today. A wing-clipped pair were released onto the Queen's Gardens pond in the mid 1980s and, supplied with a nest box, they bred and reared several young during one season. The family remained until the autumn but then disappeared and, again, it is unknown whether they flew off or were taken into captivity.
Wood Duck Aix sponsa
The Wood Duck is a colourful North American relative of the Mandarin Duck that is also popular in British wildfowl collections. Escapees and deliberately released birds have not established themselves with the same degree of success as the Mandarin Duck, however, and a pair on East Park in 1967 were probably recent releases that quickly disappeared.
Wigeon (Eurasian Wigeon) Anas penelope
The Wigeon is mainly a scarce passage and winter visitor to inland areas around Hull, although passage flocks may be seen more often as they pass by on the Humber. A flock of 14 moving upstream off Saltend on 14th December 1984 was the highest day count for the latter half of that year. A total of 300 were logged on 4th January 1985 and counts of between six and 36 were made on five other dates that month. A party of 10 were on the Humber there a few weeks later and a pair was on Saltend Channel in late May.
There was another big passage off Saltend the following autumn. A respectable 196 were logged on 23rd September and 149 on 13th November. A further 247 passed by on 16th, with 164 on 19th and 267 on 16th December. All were flying upstream. Even larger numbers of Wigeons, totalling over 1,000 on any one day, have been observed purposefully moving up the Humber in autumn from various watchpoints further down the estuary. All of these birds undoubtedly pass the waterfronts of Paull, Saltend and then Hull and Hessle as they progress upstream.
The larger inland waters and any flooded fields are likely to attract a Wigeon or two in passage periods and in winter, though usually only briefly. Several were noted on East Park Lake in March 1940, with seven on 4th February 1967 and eight in December. One to two were seen on the Priory Road fields in the early to mid 1980s, including a pair on floodwaters there on the very unusual summer date of 4th June in 1983. Another pair was on floodwaters at North Bransholme on the more typical date of 23rd October in 1992.
Away from the Humber the Bransholme Sewage Works has perhaps provided more records than anywhere else in the Hull area in recent years. One or two have visited that site between October and April in most years since the early 1990s. East Park still hosts the occasional Wigeon, too, with one from December 1997 to January 1998, and again in December 2000, although the high level of disturbance here means that any birds soon move on once the park opens.
American Wigeon Anas Americana
Breeding in North America and wintering down to Central America, the American Wigeon is a rare vagrant to Britain. East Park has hosted an American Wigeon on no less than two occasions, with the first being an adult male seen on 17th and 21st March 1984. Curiously the second record also concerns a March adult male, this time on the 24th in 1986. It is possible that both of these records concern the same bird which, having made the ocean crossing during a previous autumn, had established a spring migratory flight on this side of the Atlantic and used East Park as a stop-over point. This sort of pattern is often seen in other stranded North American ducks, such as Ring-necked Ducks, that return year after year to favourite seasonal haunts. As our similar Eurasian Wigeon is rather rare in East Park and, indeed, uncommon elsewhere in the Hull area, all Wigeons are clearly worth a second look.
Gadwall Anas strepera
Gadwalls were rather scarce in Yorkshire until the middle of the 20th Century and the species was still virtually unknown in the Hull area as recently as the 1960s. The only Gadwalls to be found locally at that time were apparently released onto East Park sometime before 1967, with two being present in February of that year and one in December. A few were recorded at Saltend in 1985. A male on 23rd February left to the north, a pair headed west offshore on 12th September and another pair wer on the Humber off West Wharfe on 23rd. A male was there again on 30th December.
The only moderately regular site for Gadwalls around Hull today is the reservoir at the Bransholme Sewage Works, and even here they were apparently not recorded until 1993. Between four and six were present during January of that year, with just one remaining in February and March. There were no more until November when a pair returned for the winter. Numbers increased at this site during the mid 1990s with between 13 and 15 from February to April 1997, a singleton in July and then nine in September increasing to 14 by October. A total of 19 were present at the Bransholme Sewage Works in October 1998 and the maximum for 2000 was 40 on 3rd March, a record Hull count. Gadwalls are always somewhat unpredictable in their occurrence, though, and only three were present in the latter months of the year. In spite of their fickleness it is likely that visits to this reservoir between September and April will reveal at least a few Gadwalls among the Mallards and it is good to see that numbers are generally increasing.
Gadwalls may very occasionally be found on other ponds or lakes in the Hull area, with up to four in East Park in the autumn and winter of 1997 and a first-winter male on 7th and 12th January 1998. A pair was on the Bransholme Fishing Pond on Christmas Day 2000.
Teal (Eurasian Teal) Anas crecca
The Teal has been familiar to Hull people for centuries and was very much on the menu in days gone by. In 1560 a proclamation was made in Hull that set the price of 'Teall' at tuppence each, half that of a Mallard. They must have been very common in all seasons on the marshes and carrs that surrounded the town back then. The smallest duck, Teals are now winter visitors and passage migrants in the Hull area and occur more widely and in greater numbers than one might imagine.
The Saltend mudflats and the tidal creeks that feed them are undoubtedly the main site for the species in the area and may, in fact, hold up to 80% of the Teals on the whole north bank of the Humber. Large numbers occur in midwinter although counts fluctuate depending on the weather, with more birds in cold spells. Several hundred birds winter in the Old Fleet and Hedon Haven channels, flanking either side of Saltend, and then can easily be seen from the embankments as they emerge to feed on the mudflats at low tide. Comparative spot-counts on the Saltend flats over the years include 420 in January 1985, 350 in January 1986, 500 in January 1989, 202 in January 1997 and 200 in January 1999. After being virtually deserted from June until August the Saltend flats begin to see small arrivals of Teals from early August. Sixty on 25th August 1985 was typical for the time of year. Passage birds can also be seen winging past over the Humber at this time, with 262 moving west on one day in September 1985. Numbers build on the Saltend mudflats throughout the autumn, as demonstrated by a count of 400 in early November 1989 growing to 535 by 26th and 550 on 22nd December. A decade later and the situation was similar, with a handful in October 1998 increasing to 150 in November and 725 on 24th December. This last count is the largest congregation of Teals recorded in the Hull area and represents half of the population of the entire Humber estuary. On 22nd December 2000, meanwhile, I counted 330 at the mouth of Hedon Haven alone. After the peak counts of midwinter the number of Teals at Saltend steadily falls from late January onwards. Counts fell from 420 in January 1985 to 270 in February, 180 in March, 50 in April and none in May. A flock of 200 birds in January 1999 decreased to 150 in February and then to less than 20 in March and April. Over 400 were recorded on 15th March 1981, however, probably due to spring passage. Away from Saltend small parties of Teals are regular but unpredictable throughout the Hull area anytime from early September to late April, with the majority between November and March. The boggy ponds, ditches and drains on the Priory Road fields, southeast of North Bransholme and east of Bransholme are favoured stopover sites for groups of up to nine birds, although a flock of four or five is more usual. Larger areas of water also attracts the occasional flock of Teals from autumn through to spring. Nine were on the Bransholme Sewage Works reservoir on 10th April 1993, this being a large count for that site. Another four were at East Park in mid November 1997. Thwaite Hall Lake in Cottingham also seems a likely place, but restricted access means records are patchy.
Saltend is really the only site in the Hull area where Teals can be guaranteed in season. To hear the evocative whistles of these wild and wary birds coming off the flats as you walk the Paull embankment on a misty morning really does stir the soul.
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
The Mallard is the commonest duck in Britain, indeed Europe, and the Hull area is no exception. Mallards can be found wherever there is sufficient water around Hull, from the parks to the Humber shore and all manner of drains, wet dykes, ponds and flooded fields inbetween. Most Hull folk are familiar with the Mallard, as few children have not paid a visit to Queen’s Gardens or the Hull parks to feed the ducks. The earliest reference to the Mallard in Hull comes from the 1560 Wildfowl at Hull manuscript, which set the price of a “Mallerde” at fourpence. The tidal creeks along the Humber and the extensive marshes, carrs and meres that surrounded Hull back then were teeming with Mallards and other wildfowl. Duck decoys (elaborate duck traps) at Meaux, Sunk Island, Watton and Scorborough probably supplied the Hull markets. Boylan (1967) described the species as a resident and common winter visitor in 1960s Hull, with breeding occurring in several dykes and drains. There was a large roost on the Humber and winter counts of up 500 birds were made on East Park Lake. East Park counts from other sources around that time give 575 birds in February 1967 and 300 in December of the same year. Up to 200 birds can still be found wintering on East Park Lake, with a similar number at Pearson Park Pond and in Pickering Park. Up to 50 birds winter on the Queen’s Gardens ponds and perhaps 100 do so on Thwaite Hall Lake, Cottingham. Breeding commonly occurs on all of these waters and many of the birds are extremely tame and will gladly take food from the hand. Passage birds at East Park and Thwaite Hall are much wilder and keep well away from the public.
The Bransholme Sewage Works supports large numbers of Mallard, with a wintering flock of up to 120 birds between October and March. Several broods are reared there during the summer, although counts rarely exceed 40 birds between May and July. Up to 50 now frequent the newly created Bransholme Fishing Pond, with 20 or more much wilder birds regularly being flushed from the marshy ponds in the surrounding fields. Breeding is regular there, too, and I have counted 45 on the nearby stretch of the Holderness Drain in winter. Pairs or small groups of Mallards may often be found in many ditches, drains or flooded fields throughout the Hull area and breeding is not uncommon in quiet stretches of water. The Humber estuary was once internationally important for the number of Mallards that spent the winter on its shores, mudflats and tidal creeks. A decline since the 1970s means this is no longer the case, though large numbers can still be found around Saltend. Wintering flocks there have regularly exceeded 100 birds since the mid 1980s and up to 350 have been counted in recent years. Numbers fall steadily during February and March until less than 20 remain by May. This is a result of the wintering birds returning to the Continent and local birds moving away to breed. A small peak of perhaps 50 birds is frequently noted in June as the males gather to prepare for moulting after the rigours of courtship. Numbers then fall again in July as the birds move away to a quiet stretch of water to complete the flightless phase of their moult in safety. A rapid post-breeding influx then follows in August and September, and the figure may be close to 100 again. Counts usually peak in November as the Continental birds arrive once more, mingling with the Teals in Hedon Haven and Old Fleet Channel to wait for the rich mudflats to be exposed by the tide.
Gatherings of Mallards are much smaller elsewhere along the Humber shore away from Saltend. Up to 50 birds may be found on the western waterfront (off Clive Sullivan Way) in winter but 32 was considered a good number at Hessle Haven in mid October 1999.
Pintail (Northern Pintail) Anas acuta
One of the most attractive native ducks, the Pintail is unfortunately rather uncommon in the Hull area. In the 1960s the Hull and District Wildfowlers’ Association released a few Pintails onto East Park Lake - two males seen in February 1967 and a pair in December were almost certainly feral. Resident birds were still present well into the 1970s but they eventually died out. Intensive coverage at Saltend and the eastern docks in 1985 and 1986 produced seven winter records of singles and pairs flying along the waterfront, all from August to March. Up to three were in King George Dock in the winter of 1986. Extensive floodwaters, caused by heavy rain, on farmland to the east of North Bransholme in the spring of 1994 attracted several Pintails; six, including a drake, were seen dabbling in the shallow pools on 25th March while a pair were seen again on 30th April.
A pair of Pintails in Pearson Park in 1996 were possibly feral birds in light of the location. In the same year a female was in East Park from mid April to mid May and again from mid November to mid December. A drake was then present in East Park on 25th February 1997 and, after he was joined by a female on 27th, the pair were present intermittently until 7th April. This seems a rather long stay for supposedly wild Pintail. It is quite possible that the Pearson Park and East Park records for 1996 and 1997 involve the same two birds. Another long-staying female was at the Bransholme Sewage Works from 8th January to 9th March 2000.
This collection of records indicates that Pintails are rather scarce passage migrants and winter visitors in the Hull area, most regularly as fly-bys on the Humber but occasionally inland on flooded fields or lakes. The origins of long-staying birds in heavily disturbed areas such as the Hull parks must, however, be considered questionable.
Garganey Anas querquedula
The Garganey is the only duck to occur in Yorkshire that is actually a summer migrant rather than a winter visitor. It is also quite scarce in the county and is only a passage migrant in the Hull area, with just two relatively recent records. On 6th September 1993 I found a well-marked juvenile male Garganey on the reservoir of the Bransholme Sewage Works. It was still present the next day when I was able to take some fuzzy photographs of it while it sat on the bank, occasionally displaying the characteristic wing pattern that clearly separates it from certain plumages of the very similar Teal. It was last seen on 18th September after quite a lengthy stay. Early on the morning of 22nd May 1997 Brett Richards located a pair of Garganey on East Park Lake, but they left soon afterwards.
Shoveler (Northern Shoveler) Anas clypeata
The Shoveler is one of the less common of the regular ducks in the Hull area. After an increase in local numbers during the early 1990s the species has recently become scarce once more.
Just two Shovelers were seen in Hull during the first six years of the 1960s, probably at East Park, and two were present there on 4th February 1967, with three on 16th April. The species was described as a very scarce winter visitor at that time and it remained so into the 1980s. Intensive coverage at Saltend then revealed it to be not only a very scarce passage migrant on the Humber but also a sporadic breeder. On 16th August 1984 regular watchers at Saltend were very surprised to find a pair of Shovelers with a single duckling on a sheet of water known to them as 'First Pond'. All three disappeared on 1st September and breeding was never recorded in the Hull area again. Passage and winter records from that period involved a pair in St. Andrew's Dock in February 1985 and a male on Saltend Marsh on 9th December. A total of five passage birds passed Saltend in April and May. A female was on Saltend Marsh on 31st July 1985, with two on 2nd August. Autumn passage offshore was represented by a total of 12 birds between mid August and mid October that year. There were just four passage records in 1986 - three birds in March and one in August.
The scarcity of Shovelers continued until the early 1990s when small numbers started to frequent the Bransholme Sewage Works. Nine were present on 23rd February 1992, with seven still there on 7th March. None were seen again until August of that year when two birds arrived, increasing to six on 20th September. An influx in October saw a record total of 27 on the Sewage Works reservoir but only three were left by the end of the month. Numbers rose again in November to a peak of 11 on 29th before dropping back down to two by Christmas Eve. The good run of records spilled over into 1993 when up to 16 were still at the Sewage Works during January. Four to six remained into February, with a maximum of two in March and then none until one to three were back in July and August. The unprecedented numbers of the previous autumn were not matched, however, and a lowly peak of five was the best count between October and December. Hardly any Shovelers have been recorded from the Sewage Works since then and a pair in February 1997 is the only recent record.
Shovelers are very occasionally seen on the park lakes, with a female at East Park on 20th January 1998, but never in any numbers and never for long. The Bransholme Sewage Works probably still provides the best chance of finding Shovelers in the Hull area, most likely in October or November when an influx of migrants swells the British population. Alternatively, a vigil over the Humber in spring or autumn may offer a brief view of a passing bird or two, though I flushed a pair from floodwaters at North Bransholme in April 2001.
Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
In October 2000 a drake Red-crested Pochard was a surprise find on East Park Lake. This species is no more than a rare visitor to Britain from Continetal Europe. As with many of the more attractive waterfowl, however, the chances of this individual being an escape from captivity were not ruled out by the finder. Cynicism later proved to be the order of the day; when the bird was seen again at close range in November it was noted to be lacking most of its right wing. I later learned that the bird had been present since at least July 1998 after being released from the aviaries some time before.
Red-crested Pochards were being released onto East Park Lake as early as the 1960s and three birds were present on 4th February 1967. The presence of a hybrid Mallard x Red-crested Pochard the following December indicates that the introduced birds were eager to breed but were rather limited in their options.
Pochard (Common Pochard) Aythya ferina
Often found side by side with the Tufted Duck, the Pochard is a regular and fairly common winter visitor and passage migrant on the larger freshwaters of the Hull area. Most of our wintering Pochards come from central Europe and Russia, with the first arriving in early September. Numbers often peak in November before dropping a little from December to February. There is usually with a second peak in early March as passage birds move back through the area. Numbers plummet towards the end of March and by mid April virtually all Pochards have left. Very small numbers, maybe just one to three, can sometimes be found during the summer months and these are probably non-breeding birds of the resident British population. In some years small groups of moulting males can be found during late June and July and, again, these are probably British birds rather than early immigrants. In 1996, however, breeding actually occurred on East Park Lake when a female and three young ducklings were seen on 3rd June, although only one chick survived to full size.
Pochards have been winter visitors to East Park Lake since it was first built and up to 30 could be found in November or December during the 1960s. This site still attracts the largest regular flock in the Hull area. An apparent increase since the sixties means that 40 to 50 is now the usual peak count, with 55 on 13th November 1998 being the highest recorded tally there. While a few Pochards can be found on Pickering Park Lake now and again the only other regular site in the Hull area is the reservoir at the Bransholme Sewage Works. Numbers rarely exceed 25 at this location, with 10 to 20 being more usual and exceptionally as many as 40 at peak times. This was not always the case, however, and between 1980 and 1986 passage birds were noted here on only two occasions. There is probably some interchange between East Park, Bransholme Sewage Works and other East Yorkshire lakes, as numbers at each site often fluctuate from day to day. The largest number of Pochards ever seen in the Hull area occurred on the Humber in the mid 1980s when a huge flock discovered wintering off the south bank of the estuary was visible from Saltend. After a count of 40 birds in early February 1985 the flock increased to 300 by the end of the month. The following year a phenomenal 525 were recorded there on 8th February. These figures were in stark contrast to the usual Saltend counts of up to 30 or so (though more often less than 10), recorded on passage from September to April.
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
An adult male Ferruginous Duck was reported from Bransholme, almost certainly the Sewage Works, on 10th October 1976. Another drake frequented East Park Lake from 23rd January until 19th March 1987, with what may have been the same bird again the following year from 2nd to the 9th April. While Ferruginous Ducks breed across southern and eastern Europe they are also quite common in captivity as ornamental waterfowl, so the origin of the Hull birds remains open to question.
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
While the 'Tufty' is the commonest diving duck in Britain it is usually outnumbered by Pochards in the Hull area, though both are found in more or less the same habitat and can usually be seen side by side. Tufted Ducks do not breed in the Hull area although small numbers nest elsewhere in East Yorkshire. The wintering birds that visit the city may either be local or from northern and eastern Europe, as ringed birds recovered elsewhere in the county have hailed from as far afield as the Baltic states. The only regular sites for Tufted Ducks in the Hull area are East Park and the Bransholme Sewage Works, with infrequent appearances on Pickering Park. Up to 50 were wintering on East Park Lake during the 1960s, this being roughly double the winter peak recorded in the late 1990s. Maximum counts have also decreased at the Bransholme Sewage Works since the early 1990s, with up to 30 in 1993 comparing to 15 in 1997 and 19 in 2000. Numbers have always fluctuated at both of these sites due to local movements but counts elsewhere in the county suggest that a real decline has taken place since the early 1990s at least.
The number of Tufted Ducks on the regular waters starts to build from early September, with the autumn peak occurring in late October or November as immigrants flood into the country. Numbers drop a little from December onwards as many migrants move on, with maybe 15 to 20 at East Park and 10 to 15 at the Sewage Works. A second peak is often noted in late February or March as birds return on their outward journey. April sees a rapid decline as the migrants leave and the British birds move out to find a breeding site. There are only a handful of non-breeding birds left in the area during May and early June. Failed breeders and post-breeding males return to East Park and the Bransholme Sewage Works as early as mid June. Up to half a dozen may be found at these locations throughout the rest of the summer until the autumn build-up begins again.
Small numbers of Tufties are sometimes seen at other lakes in the Hull area, such as Thwaite Hall in Cottingham, and two males were on the Holderness Drain at North Bransholme in May 1993. The highest counts of Tufted Ducks recorded in the Hull area were the result of a very unusual flock present on the Humber off Saltend in February 1985. Tufted Ducks aren't normally too keen on brackish or salt water but an incredible 320 were counted here on 5th February, with 220 still remaining on 28th of that month.
Scaup (Greater Scaup) Aythya marila
Scaups are infrequent passage migrants and winter visitors to the Hull area from breeding grounds in Iceland and Scandinavia. Some may also come from as far away as western Siberia. Predominantly sea-going ducks, Scaups are best looked for on the Humber where they are occasionally seen moving upstream or loafing offshore from late autumn to spring. Numbers and dates vary but flocks are usually between 10 and 30 strong with the majority of sightings occurring from November to February. Nelson (1907) quotes a letter from Francis Hoare, dated 1880, in which Hoare states that after north-easterly gales he had known Scaups to come up the Humber as far as Paull bight, below Hull, in large numbers and sometimes stay all winter. Hoare went on to say that he himself had killed great numbers there.
A large movement of Scaups was recorded on 6th November 2000 when 204 birds flew upstream past the Humber Bridge. The fact that many of the Humber records concern November flocks flying westwards is intriguing in that it suggests that the birds are purposefully moving inland, maybe with the intention of crossing over to the Irish Sea. Loafing Scaups are occasionally seen from the waterfronts; a flock of 12 females were off Hessle on 1st February 1947 and a group of six were seen there on 7th February 1986. Seventeen were off Victoria Dock on 19th November 1997. Larger numbers can sometimes be found off Saltend and a build up during early 1985 peaked at 52 on 6th February before decreasing to eight by 26th. A flock of 57 were back again on 20th November. Eleven on 6th February 1986 grew to 51 by 8th before dropping to just one by 26th.
Scaups are very rare on inland waters in the Hull area but they were apparently more frequent in the past. On 3rd March 1940 a female on East Park Lake was followed by a drake on 7th, with two there on 12th December 1942. Between 1960 and 1966 members of the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists' Club recorded no less than nine occurrences of Scaups on East Park Lake, mainly during harsh winter weather. A bird was also seen on a disused pool at the Clough Road gas works. An impressive flock of 17 males were on East Park Lake on 15th September 1969, this being the largest inland count in the Hull area. More recent inland records have been few and far between. A male was at the Bransholme Sewage Works on 12th to 13th April 1982, with a female on East Park Lake on 15th January 1988, a juvenile male at Bransholme Sewage Works on 17th September 1991, a female on East Park Lake again on 12th December 1999 and another there on 24th.
Eider (Common Eider) Somateria mollissima
Members of the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists' Club were only able to record one sighting of the Eider duck during their informal survey of the birds within the old Hull boundary between 1960 and 1966, though no further details were given. A flock of eight were spotted flying downstream past Paull on 9th April 1981 and regular watching at and around Saltend in the mid 1980s resulted in many more records and a better indication of the status of the Eider on the Humber. A flock of nine passed Saltend on 8th November 1984 with up to 14 in mid January 1985 and three males loafing offshore on 3rd February. Birds were regular in November, with five passing by on 13th and up to 13 on most days until 22nd. A total of 45 moved upstream on 19th and the last bird of the year was on 16th December. The following year saw one off Saltend and Hull on 5th January and 6th February respectively, while eight males moved upstream on 8th February. Three more headed upstream off Saltend on 15th November 1986 and two were off the eastern docks in late January 1987. Regular watching and recording in that area dried up in the late 1980s and consequently so did the sightings.
More recent records of Eiders in the Hull area include four on the Humber off Victoria Dock on 20th October 1997. Several flocks moving up and down the estuary there on 19th November added up to an impressive 150 birds. Four were seen off Saltend on 6th October 1998 and 13 were loafing on the Humber off St Andrew's Quay, with 80 Common Scoter and a couple of Velvet Scoters, on 20th December 2000.
Eiders are therefore infrequent and rather unpredictable winter visitors on the Humber in the Hull area, usually in small numbers and anytime from October to April. Regular passage upstream off Hull is not thought to occur and there are no records from any inland locations around the city.
Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
Rare inland, these seaducks breed across the Arctic tundra and along the coasts of Scandinavia and Iceland but winter in dense flocks off the coasts of Northern Europe. Occasional along the Yorkshire coast, Long-tailed Ducks appear to enter the Humber only rarely. A bumper year in 1985 had a record nine moving upstream off Saltend (in the company of Common Scoters) on 16th November and singles from the 18th to 20th. A pair on 22nd November increased to a trio on 23rd before dropping down to a single on 26th. Comparison with records from this area the following year indicate how extraordinary 1985 was; 1986 had just one bird flying downstream off King George Dock on 2nd March and another going the same way on 22nd December.
Late autumn at a deep inland water in the Hull area may also reward the regular observer with a very occasional Long-tailed Duck. A female on the Bransholme Sewage Works reservoir on 7th November 1991 was followed by a first-winter male from 2nd to 12th November 1999.
Common Scoter (Black Scoter) Melanitta nigra
Common Scoters are, as their name suggests, common seaducks on the Yorkshire coast and birds are frequently seen over the Humber from vantage points in the Hull area. It has been recognised for several decades now that there is major late summer and autumn cross-country movement of Common Scoters from the east coast to the west, and vice versa, across Yorkshire. The Humber is the main route inland for the migrating flocks and Hull is therefore very well placed to enjoy the annual spectacle.
The main movement begins in late July and usually lasts throughout August, with flocks of up to several hundred birds at a time making their way upstream past Paull, Hull and Hessle. Later in the autumn, from September to November, flocks can still be seen moving up the Humber though many return seawards. These may be feeding flocks or just jittery birds that can't bring themselves to pass under the Humber Bridge. Daily counts at this time can be among the most impressive of the year, such as the total of 1,153 that flew west past Saltend on 16th November 1985, though most flocks number less than 50 birds. By December the flocks are more infrequent but they are a little more likely to be found loafing on the Humber rather than just flying past. It is worthwhile looking through such congregations of Common Scoters to see what else they might contain; a flock of 80 off St Andrew's Quay on 20th December 2000 also held two Velvet Scoters and 13 Eiders.
Velvet Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
There are five records of the Velvet Scoter from the Humber in the Hull area, the species being an uncommon wintering bird in British waters. On 18th January 1985 three were seen moving upstream with Common Scoters off Saltend, with two males going the same way on 12th May and another downstream on 23rd November. A drake was spotted off Hessle on 14th November 1998 and two were located among a flock of Common Scoters and Eiders off St Andrew's Quay on 20th December 2000. Others have surely passed by unseen, either drifting on the tide or commuting along the estuary.
Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
First seen at Hornsea Mere on 8th December 1996, a female Bufflehead spent most of January 1997 there before being refound on East Park Lake by Brett Richards on 27th January. The bird then moved to the reservoir at Bransholme Sewage Works from 10th February until 18th April before wanderlust took hold again and she moved back to East Park, staying from 22nd April until 1st May. Still not settled, she finally moved back to Bransholme Sewage Works the following day before disappearing on 27th May. The tiny Bufflehead, superficially similar to a small Goldeneye, is an extremely rare visitor to Britain from North America. There are only eight accepted records. The species is also frequent in European wildfowl collections, however, and many birdwatchers were therefore keen to determine the origins of the Hull bird. After much scrutiny it was noticed that she carried a black ring on one leg that bore the numbers 1 and 11 above 4 and 13. As this kind of numbering system is apparently not used by any of the major organisations studying wild birds the general opinion leaned towards the duck being a probable escapee from captivity.
Goldeneye (Common Goldeneye) Bucephala clangula
Boylan (1967) described the Goldeneye as a very rare winter visitor to Hull with just four records between 1960 and 1966, probably on East Park Lake. Bonavia (1990) recorded it as being occasional on the Bransholme Sewage Works reservoir from January to March between 1980 and 1986. Large numbers were recorded on the Humber at this time, with 168 off Saltend in February 1985, 165 off the eastern docks in January 1986 and 126 still being present in early February. These gatherings were considered to be unusual, with numbers on the Humber generally being in the low single figures and occasionally up to 35.
Single Goldeneyes, very rarely two, were seen on the Holderness Drain at North Bransholme between November and March in the early 1990s and up to three occasionally visited the Bransholme Sewage Works around the same time, as they still do. East Park has also produced a few winter records but Goldeneyes are less frequent here than at the Sewage Works.
The status of the Goldeneye in the Hull area can therefore be described as a rather scarce but regular winter visitor to inland waters. It is invariably seen in single figures and may appear any time from November to March. Large flocks may be present on the Humber in some years.
Smew Mergellus albellus
The drake Smew is one of the most attractive of all the ducks. The erratic and infrequent appearance of the species in Britain, often when freezing conditions in Continental Europe force them westwards, makes them all the more enigmatic and special to birders. Around the turn of the 20th Century Smews were reputed to be regular on the River Hull in the general area of Beverley and this probably extended south to Dunswell and Wawne. The beautiful drakes were especially prized by bird-stuffers and many were shot. There were no documented records for the next 80 years, but January 1985 saw an influx into the Hull area when cold weather in Europe brought flotillas of Smews to Britain in what was a bumper year. The first arrivals were a drake on the Holderness Drain at North Bransholme on 15th January, another on the Humber off Saltend and a 'redhead' (female or immature male) on the old Prince’s Dock (pre Prince’s Quay) the same day. On 21st and 22nd January there were three drakes on the Holderness Drain at North Bransholme, with an amazing four drakes there from 23rd to 26th. They must have brightened up that part of Hull no end. The drakes were joined by two 'redheads' on 23rd February, making six birds in all. That was it for 1985, except for a 'redhead' flying upstream past Saltend on 21st February, although a drake was in St. Andrew's Dock on 15th February the following year.Three Smews were seen flying east at Paull on 16th January 1987 and singles were on East Park Lake on 2nd, 3rd and 7th February that year. January 1991 saw another big influx into Britain with up to 150 birds involved across northeast England. Hull played only a small part, however, with one flying west past Victoria Dock on 7th January and another two drifting down the River Hull onto the Humber on 20th.
Any relatively deep water in the Hull area, be it fresh or saline, may therefore produce a Smew during an influx. If birds begin to be reported from northeast England then a visit to East Park, the Bransholme Sewage Works, the docks or any vantage point over the Humber and the channels flowing into it could well be rewarding, especially if your prize comes in the form of an exquisite monochrome drake.
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
The Red-breasted Merganser is a scarce wintering bird on the Humber but probably occurs in the Hull area in most years. Regular watching over the Humber off Saltend in the mid 1980s showed that one or two birds could usually be found, on and off, between November and February. There were eight records in 1985 but just one in 1986. On 19th March 1987 three birds were in King George Dock and another three were seen at the Humber Bridge on 6th November 2000. Small numbers are regularly seen flying upstream further down the Humber at sites such as Sunk Island and these birds surely pass Hull on their way inland. Red-breasted Mergansers have never been recorded on inland waters in the Hull area so a vigil on the shores of Humber between late autumn and spring offers the best chance of catching up with one.
Goosander Mergus merganser
While perhaps 3000 pairs of Goosanders breed on the fast flowing rivers of upland Britain, the small number of birds that winter in the Hull area are just as likely to be immigrants from Europe or Scandinavia. Goosanders used to be very rare around Hull and the only chance of seeing one was the occasional bird passing on the Humber during a hard winter. The species was virtually unknown away from the estuary up until the 1980s, with a pair spending three days on a small pool in the Priory Road fields in March 1983 being very unusual. Four were on the Holderness Drain at North Bransholme on 17th January 1985, with six on 19th and singles on 20th January and 24th February. Those prepared to spend many cold hours watching wildfowl passing by on the Humber could expect to see more Goosanders, if only fleetingly, with 11 flying past Saltend on 18th January 1985 and 43 on the Humber there the next day. This movement was due to birds being displaced by a hard freeze on the Continent and was no doubt responsible for the North Bransholme birds and the scattering of Smews recorded at the same time. Single figures were noted passing Saltend again in February and March 1986.
In the early 1990s the occasional Goosander was reported from the Bransholme Sewage Works and around that time birds began to spend the winter on East Park Lake. On 9th March 1994 three males were loafing near the easternmost island in the lake and seven birds were present in January 1997. This number increased to 12 the following month, the largest gathering reported in the city, before the last three were seen on 14th March. The following winter saw a male returning in mid November 1997 and staying until December. On 19th November 1997 three flew up the Humber past Victoria Dock while up to two were back at East Park from January to March 1998, with three there on 10th March and the last bird on 20th. November and December 1998 again saw just one or two present on the lake, while only one was seen in January 1999. Another was present from December that year into January 2000. The first bird to return to East Park in late 2000 was a female, also alone, on 1st December. She was present until the year end. Another female was on the Bransholme Fishing Pond on Christmas Day and two males were in East Park in mid February 2001.
While the numbers are often very small, it is nevertheless quite possible to see a Goosander on East Park Lake in most winters and this is probably the best place to look for them in the Hull area. The first birds tend to arrive from mid November to early December and the last ones leave around the middle of March, with the showy males often being in the majority.
Ruddy Duck Oyxura jamaicensis
The Ruddy Duck is an American species that escaped from the famous Slimbridge wildfowl collection in the 1950s and established a feral population in the English Midlands. By 1990 there were over 3,500 Ruddy Ducks breeding in Britain and the birds had spread far and wide. In the early 1980s Ruddy Ducks started breeding just 9 miles, as the crow flies, from northern Hull at Hornsea Mere. Nesting also occurred at Tophill Low, north of Beverley, in 1993. Sightings in East Yorkshire away from these two sites have always been very rare, however, despite counts at Tophill Low reaching 70 in recent years.
The first definite record from the Hull area is of a pair of males at the Bransholme Sewage Works on 28th July 1992. A female was on East Park Lake on 17th April 2000 and a pair were present from 28th April to 8th May. A female was at the Bransholme Sewage Works on 3rd August the same year. While others may well have occurred and not been seen or reported, the Ruddy Duck is nevertheless a rather rare visitor to the waters in and around Hull. At one time it looked as if it was only a matter of time before the species was regularly encountered wintering in East Park or the Bransholme Sewage Works, or even breeding on Thwaite Hall Lake. This now seems very unlikely due to the eradication campaign begun in the late 1990s. The Ruddy Duck is very closely related to the endangered European White-headed Duck and the two species are so similar that they interbreed to produce fertile hybrids. The fear was that Ruddy Ducks would spread to the Continent, as they began to do, and 'breed out' the small population of White-headed Ducks to the point where the latter became extinct. As a result British Ruddy Ducks, the source of the European birds, are now being killed in order to remove the species from Europe. Consequently, any Ruddy Ducks seen in the Hull area in the next few years could well be the last.