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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Hobby Thread 2009 (1 Viewer)

May20th, Part Two

At 1pm I had a brief look and straight away the female was overhead, circling away to the north.
She started moving fast suddenly - as though hunting, but not going for the many aerial birds around. She changed direction and accelerated away east, roller-coasting rapidly, then dived at the chosen tree before zapping off east.

At 3pm. I took BF's Bananafishbones around my patch - we had a female Wheatear first, the Little owl showed well - then a falcon was flying towards us. Expecting a Hobby, it was a bit surprising to see a Peregrine (probably a tiercel) pass over and head off west!
Yellowhammers behaved well and Oystercatchers came and went, but it was nearly two hours in when a familiar call drew our attention.
There was the male, streaking in low and fast, clutching the remains of a bird under his tail. The noise came from his mate, and he handed over the prey to her.
Fortunately she ate the meal in full view - and we watched her scoff the lot, he out of sight nearby.

As soon as she'd eaten they were both up and over our heads - displaying acrobatically above us. A show of aerial supremacy culminated in the male zooming off west again, while the female landed atop a nearby pylon briefly.
A cracking episode to end the day.
 
halftwo said:
There was the male, streaking in low and fast, clutching the remains of a bird under his tail. The noise came from his mate, and he handed over the prey to her.
Fortunately she ate the meal in full view - and we watched her scoff the lot, he out of sight nearby.

As soon as she'd eaten they were both up and over our heads - displaying acrobatically above us. A show of aerial supremacy culminated in the male zooming off west again, while the female landed atop a nearby pylon briefly.
A cracking episode to end the day.
Click to expand...

Brilliant H!!! I watched peregrines do similar a few weeks ago....really doesn't get much better than that!:t: ........makes all those hours of w a i t i n g and w a i t i n g worth it!!!

Hobbies a bit thin on the ground on my patch....your patch sounds wonderful and glad Bfb got his yellowhammer.....now that's a bird I could write a book about.;)

Joanne
 
joannec said:
yellowhammer.....now that's a bird I could write a book about.;)
Joanne
Click to expand...

Oh? Do we have a monologue in the offing?;)

I was re-reading "The Hobby" today - and see that Chapman writes that Hobbies use current season's nests, as preference.
Strange that. Makes me wonder if northern Carrion crows (much the preferred species) nest later than southern ones & if this still gives them time to lay at the appointed mid-June.
Are the Hobbies studying the crows' nests to see how far they have got? As there is considerable variation in their laying times (there is a nearby pair that have not hatched their eggs yet - so their nest would be a non-starter, eg.)

And: why? Do Carrion crow's rebuild each year? Or re-use old nests?
What would be the advantage of using a current-season's nest? I can think of one reason: perhaps crows have already nested in places where their potential predators - particularly Buzzards - are far enough away AND they have already spent spring chasing them away from the nest site. Site already tried and tested.
Maybe. (my Hobbies have yet to show any intolerance to the presence of Buzzards - but I know once they have young there will be antagonism.)

Questions, questions!
 
Am blessed with yellowhammers on my 'hobby' patch......always cracking birds to see! Have very vivid memories from the winter just gone...watching these fantastic buntings just glowing against the snow...same with reed buntings...the males are just stunning...never tire of them!
Had a quick look for my hobbies today, found one...[or rather it found me]. It was just riding the winds....hawking for insects....waayyy above the 'may blossom' hedges which skirt the fields like some sort of coral reef....filling the air with they're pungent scent. Large red and azure damselflies fill the grasses once more as whitethroats continually hurl themselves skywards in song.....I do believe that summer might be on it's way...lets hope for a 'good one'...!
 
MAY 21st

No damselflies out here yet Username - but we can't be far behind you - so will keep the peepers peeled.
Are your coral reefs of may blossom white or red? All white here - red is a rarity.

A day of contrasts today - deep stygian gloom and torrential rain for a while, and warm sunshine in big blousey blue blotches.

And when the sun shone the sky was filled with Swifts and hirundines - gorgeing on wind-blown insects.
With such a bird-filled sky raptors were a given. Five Buzzards soaring and displaying, joined by a Sparrowhawk for a while. Then suddenly visible and high rode a Hobby.
The skies emptied as if a whistle had been blown. But this falcon was content with reveling in the breeze. Stooping to fall on half-closed wings to turn loops and gyrate around the copse - almost turning her back to the earth at times - she swept around the wood before arcing swiftly into an ash to land.

Ten minutes of cracking birding.
 
My 'coral may blossomsl' are 'basically' white H2...the norm! I never know quite what to liken the flowering hawthorn to.....sometimes i look upon them as hedgerows of cauliflowers...! [perhaps not a very inspiring description]!...
Recent heavy showers seem to be keeping everything, green wise, very fresh and vibrant. Large red damsels have been out for a while now in my area...i have a patch at 'pondside'...out of any winds that may be blowing....where the brambles are literally covered in the beauties. I am a big 'dragon' fan.....just like those hobbies!
 
May 22nd. Copulation!

Another dull, grey and cold and wet day. No wind the only consolation.

It was a while before the first sighting today, but there they were coming in to land. He landed in full sight, she invisible, but close.
He's slightly less heavily-marked with streaks on breast and belly than her, now I had a good look at him. (c. 200 ms. through 'scope.)
Twenty or thirty minutes passed - during which time a male Great-spotted woodpecker shuffled up the trunk of the ash to within a foot of the falcon, neither nonplussed by the other.

Eventually he took off to the north, disappearing beyond trees. But she followed a short distance, before landing in full view not far away.
Now, he must have sneaked back to the same tree - but out of sight - for, several minutes later, she stood up horizontally, legs extended, facing me.
He glided down and landed on top of her back and they copulated briefly.
That was a first for me!

A few minutes later he was off and overhead, circling to a couple of hundred feet, then went, accelerating rapidly, over a barn where Swallows panicked. With a few quick flicks of his swept-back wings he was at twice Swallow speed, on a shallow trajectory, closing fast. I lost him beyond, but soon, there he was, up on high.

He folded his wings and plumetted almost vertically, and again I lost him as he reached hedge height.

Two minutes passed: then both were together - he stooping at her and away again, then both powered up and away southwards for at least a minute unpausing - up at about ten degrees. Typical hunt start.

As they faded into grey distance she turned and began to return. He continued on and up. I followed her progress back, over my head, jinking for insects (or perhaps displaying), and away again, before she turned and dived rapidly, before swooping up to land opposite me once more.

As the next grey cloud began to dump on me I left her to her vigil, well-pleased with the morning's activity.
 
Hi Richard

Glad to say I can now picture your thread updates with an actual location and a vision of the birds. I will continue to follow the progress....

Thanks

Dave
 
halftwo said:
Oh? Do we have a monologue in the offing?;)
Click to expand...

It was kinda tongue-in-cheek but yellowhammers are plentiful on my patch. I've identified three territories within only about 200 yards. They like the small fields with hedge boundaries which are so common in my part of Sussex. I even get them in my garden in the spring.
 
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'Playing' with crows yet ignoring near wood pigeons, my hobbies frequently returned to they're favored tree's this afternoon. They seemed to be in no rush, almost 'loafing about' as if waiting for something to happen. Perhaps they are just waiting for the tree's to conceal they're nest by bringing down a fresh green veil of leaves or, more likely, perhaps my visit today just coincided with minimal activity! Light winds blew the reeling of a grasshopper warbler towards my ears, the bird itself, however, remained annoyingly concealed by 'coral' blossom!
 
joannec said:
It was kinda tongue-in-cheek but yellowhammers are plentiful on my patch. I've identified three territories within only about 200 yards. They like the small fields with hedge boundaries which are so common in my part of Sussex. I even get them in my garden in the spring.
Click to expand...

You know, I thought today that I had said monologue instead of monograph - no insult intended - and glad you didn't take any offence, Joanne!

Strange I should have thought of it out of the blue!

Yellowhammers are scarce enough here now.
 
Well gave it another go this evening. No luck with the Hobby but i know their still present as they have been seen. As the wood is private you have to watch from a fair distance and only when they are up do you really get to see them, its the same at wood another pair have been present in, though its a bit nearer. Not been and had a look yet this year. Still was not too bad a night with 2 cracking Barn Owl and a young Long Eared calling nearby, which was great as its only the second year the "Longies" have been breeding at this site and the first time i have known them to have young
 
Hi Andrew,

I have feeling I know where your general area is. I can't remember who, but another BF member was on last year's thread re. same place, if I'm right.
Fantastic news on the owls - wouldn't mind coming for a look. Will PM you later.

H
 
May 23rd.

Warmth! Sun coming through.

9-10 am.

Found them straight away for a change, sitting together in an ash, facing me.
Good comparison views for the first time this year: apart from the obvious size difference - he looking dainty and neat, she more robust and, it has to be said, a little raggedy - the ground colour of her breast more dark than his, and, with her heavier streaking (particularly in the central strip, where his streaks are thinner) - giving her a darker overall appearance.

They looked very sedate - perhaps they both had recently fed, and sat statuesque for half an hour. For the first time in ages bees buzzed in warm air, and it felt like summer.

A Cuckoo sang. This is a really uncommon bird here now - so a real delight. Even better - he flew into view, passed the Hobbies, and continued west.
Thinking the falcon-like form of the Cuckoo might elicit some response from the Hobbies I swung back to watch them - my eye had been off them for two seconds.
They were mating again.

He dropped out of sight somewhere, she remained as before. But just a few minutes later she was up - and now they were both in the air.
They were overhead for a while - he insect-catching once - before circling up and away north-west.
For several minutes he showed off his flying prowess to her - mock-stooping at lightning speeds, swerving this way and that, whizzing arcs and flicking his wings. She just soared on up into the active air - rising effortlessly.
They became dots. But his attitude shifted: now he was hunting, and in a jinking shallow stoop that put him at dizzying speed he went behind a copse and was gone.

Back in the field Hares stretched out flat in the sun.
 
May 24th

Sunshine, warmth, cloudless skies, windless.

07:30 - 09:00

As I arrived the male Hobby flew right past me - hedge height and just ten yards away, flying off north, hugging the fields, as Swallows swirled above him.
He continued away very low and was soon lost behind hedges.
A female Kestrel, looking huge in comparison, swept in to a pylon's perch.

At the site nearby, where the pair seem to have settled for several days now, I couldn't see the female despite following the male's trajectory back, but then, the bright sun made extreme contrasts between bright and shade.
A female Sparrowhawk, causing much more panic amongst the Swallows than had the Hobby, sallied out to soar.
It was great to be out on such a peerless morning - for once hat and gloveless, basking.
Three quarters of an hour passed. Buzzards began to stack up in the new thermals. Then, at the fiftieth minute, in he came, low as before, on the reverse vector of his outward foray.
As he approached the trees he called fairly softly - and was answered by a more strident "khee-kee-kee-kee" as his mate flew from hiding and met him.
The calling continued: I hadn't seen any food carried in - so if there was some it was just a token.
Unfortunately both were now out of sight, so I left to get the Sundays and came back for breakfast.
 
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