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

Hobby Thread 2009 (1 Viewer)

May 10th.

Irony of ironies!

Thought I'd have a quick look on my way to work, 5:25 - 5:40 this morning.
There, on the nearest pylon, perched at all of eight feet up, not a hundred metres away, sat a lovely little falcon, swiveling her(1) head this way and that, not taking any notice of me, before launching herself off towards the orange-eyed sun and jinking away over tree tops, gradually rising and curving around to the left, to disappear.

Wow. No wind this morning. I wonder if they've been hunting at nearby Rixton Moss during the strong winds?

(1) I say her - the falcon looked a little bulky to be male - but no other to compare.

Lots of lively Hares & Rabbits and a pair of Red-legs on the lanes.
 
May 14th.

Out on patch by 07:15 this morning: dull and as gloomy as a dungeon. Cold too.
After 45 mins of waiting & scanning a brief view of a Hobby distant in the grey murk, heading low and west. Lost it beyond hedges.

Headed that way and re-found it on a pylon, fairly low on a spar, where it sat looking around, preening and sctratching, for 45 minutes. Just as hypothermia was beginning to take hold it began wing-stretching. Thinking this could be a prelude to flight I hung on.
A few minutes later it was off - but low and in a direction that took it quickly out of sight.
With some relief I went home to thaw, and for breakfast.

Back out there by 09:45. Slightly brighter, slightly warmer. Still dull though.
No sign on the pylon, nor anywhere nearby, so decided on a walk.

After half an hour, during which I found a Greater 'peckers' nest hole in a very isolated ash, when one flew in, and a Sparrowhawks' nest in an oak - again as a female brought in prey - a Hobby came past within a couple of hundred metres, treetop height, looking intent on prey. As I watched it swerved into an ash and landed in the still-bare tree.

It was not visible from my spot, so made my way nearer, using a thick, high hedge as a hide for the last hundred metres. Found a gap with a viewpoint - and there, opposite, sat the beautiful falcon. Swifts were everywhere all around - perhaps the reason the Hobby had chosen this perch, some mating - forming iconoclastic crosses in their union.

But the sharp-eyed falcon had seen me through the little hedge-gap and after a couple of glances from a hundred yards, it was off. Despite searching nearby I couldn't relocate it.

But, making my way back west, within half an hour a Hobby - perhaps the same one - drawn to my attention by a single Swallow's alarm - was almost overhead and drifted over me, then slowly away west until, a speck in the grey, it was gone.
For a while it was close enough to see the feather-wear on its tail as it flexed as it soared.

Returned home much warmer than earlier.
 
Thanks for that Joanne. Very interesting.
There appear to be at least two confirmed sites way north of me in Lancashire! The third one down could be me! Or just north of me. The map's a little small to tell.
H
 
May 15th.

Heavy rain until 10:00 am - petered out then.

Went straight down to patch as soon as it began to ease - as it's likely that Hobbies would be waiting to hunt.
I was just seconds late: as I arrived a falcon I took to be a Peregrine at first glance was in fact a Hobby with prey - making it look bulky - streaking west-east away from me.
I followed but never re-found it.
But, this does point to the pair being present - why else would a Hobby carry prey over a mile from where it was caught, rather than take it to the nearest perch and eat?
Unfortunately, for the next two hours there was no further sign.

However, two things further brightened up the soggy morning: first a Corn bunting singing on a wire and, second: a Buzzard with a Black-headed gull that it had just caught!
I didn't see the pounce, but the Buzzard was standing on top of the still-struggling gull in the middle of the field. Eventually, as a bevy of other B.h. gulls circled it, the gull either died or was killed - the Buzzard kept adjusting its feet on the gull.
Once dead the Buzzard took the gull to a hedge and began to pluck it.
 
Went to see a Spoonbill at Clifton pits (Worcestershire) this lunchtime - no luck. But there were a pair of Hobbies over the water for the entire time (15 minutes) I was there.
 

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May 15th. Part Two

Arriving again this afternoon and immediatly a Hobby flew over my left shoulder, at tree top height and glided to a near pylon, with prey.

For the next forty minutes or so it slowly plucked and ate every bit of the bird (House martin or Swallow I'd guess) - only the feathers were dropped.
The viscera went down too - stretching and snapping as the falcon pulled at the prey from under its right foot. At each mouthful the little falcon turned to check the surroundings - always wary.
Gradually the bundle dwindled until nothing remained.
After that it cleaned itself up and preened for another half hour. At half-time it turned to face me and I risked a quick break to get my 'scope set up on it.

What a cracking hour! What a beauty. Still slightly wet from the rain its breast feathers jutted punkily out at the sides. I was close enough to see the yellow eye-ring and thin white supercilium. When it stretched its wings and fanned its tail their faint barring could be seen.
When the head was turned fully away I saw the black nape was separated by two broad, pale stripes.

Then it took off and accelerated away and rose, before swerving and dipping to the old nest tree, where it sat in view for a further hour, under the canopy, as the sun came out.
I waited to see if it would meet up with its mate - for that hour I waited; and the second I took my eye off it - it was gone!

If I were to hazard a guess I'd say it was female - but am yet to see them together this year.

Just to add to the joyful interlude a Corn bunting sang away, and for a few seconds a Kingfisher flew in to perch nearby in an oak - perhaps fooled by the wet and partly flooded road surface!
 
Hi Sue,

Good to hear from you. Where does the Peregrine have you now?

Those Hobbies are going to have to find a new nest as the old one blew down over winter.
With the Carrion crows already feeding young in the nest it could be that new nests could be vacated before the Hobby needs to lay - I don't know if that's a possibilty - but maybe they've already chosen a new one.
I wonder if I'll find it before I did last year.
 
halftwo said:
Hi Sue,

Good to hear from you. Where does the Peregrine have you now?Those Hobbies are going to have to find a new nest as the old one blew down over winter.
With the Carrion crows already feeding young in the nest it could be that new nests could be vacated before the Hobby needs to lay - I don't know if that's a possibilty - but maybe they've already chosen a new one.
I wonder if I'll find it before I did last year.
Click to expand...

Sorry H, I misunderstood. I did read you needed someone to go up and place a nest. When I read this:

Then it took off and accelerated away and rose, before swerving and dipping to the old nest tree, where it sat in view for a further hour, under the canopy, as the sun came out.

I figured all was well and they would rebuild there. I'm sure you'll find them wherever they settle. What gorgeous things, like little Peregrines with panache.

Speaking of Peregrines. Peregrine now has at a fancy marina where she ended up after taking a day sail in our absence (dragged anchor--only other time was in Aden-think you read about that). I think we collected from the Bank of Karma because we were helped out big time. I guess it could be payback for several boats we've saved from the rocks or alerted others when we couldn't help. I posted my newest blog entry today on the 'Your Birding Day' and I mention the incident there.
 
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May 16th.

7 am - 8:15 am. Cold, low grey cloud, light rain.

Forty minutes before a show this morning (not bad!) - watching wet Hares and Lesser-black backs in a field. No sign/sound of the Corn bunting.

Over my right shoulder this time and just a hundred yards away, a Hobby glides in, showing (?)her colours well, and lands less than two-hundred yards off in a bare ash tree.
As she lands a faint khee-hee-hee reached me - further evidence of her sex.

I crept closer behind the hedge, halving the distance between us. Chaffinches came and went from the tree - often sitting within six feet of the falcon - with no reaction from either.
She peered around, hunched on the branch, looking for her mate, perhaps. She certainly didn't seem to be interesting in hunting - even when a dozen Swallows passed underneath her, gleaning flies from flower heads at almost no speed at all. She watched them, but made no attempt at these obvious and easy targets.

A few minutes later she took off - inevitably away from me - the Swallows mobbing her half-heartedly as she accelerated away.
I followed her flight until she landed a minute later, a kilometre distant, in an ash.
No sign of the mate - was he still away hunting?

Back for a breakfast thaw-out. Mid May? Hmm.
 
May 16th Part Two: THE PAIR

Back out after breakfast and the sun was coming out, clouds had turned white. Slightly warmer and now the Swifts had appeared.

Suddenly two Hobbies - male and female - were up close by. He came towards me, circling and gaining height above me, chequered underwing in the sun.
She disappeared back to the trees from where she had taken off.
Then he was away - down the wind on rakishly thin wings - up and distant instantly. As he circled an Oystercatcher frantically circled above him - quite a bizarre sight! Soon he disappeared into the westward distance.

She then took off and went to the same tree I'd seen her in earlier, but she had gone when I made my way nearer.

Half or more of an hour went by and a Hobby came in low to the same tree (a theme seems to be emerging here - I think the focus has shifted a kilometre or so from the old nest tree.) too distant to sex.
But very soon the pair were up and away to the SE, he leading the way, above and in front, she almost Peregrine in outline compared to his slimness.
They rose quickly and erratically on fast-whipping wings - seemingly enjoying the hunt. Too soon they swung east and away and, as the clouds turned grey again, it was the end of my watch.

But today is the first that I've seen them both together - and I know I was right to call her a female during recent days - let's hope they've settled on a new nest site.
 
Reassuring that you've got the two birds together now Half2..!
I've not really had a chance in past few days to check 'my birds' out....n looking out the window here now...windows rattling...heavy showers....i don't suppose i shall 'check' today either! Probably venture to Rutland Water in the vain, [insane], hope that a pomarine skua or something will have been blown up the Bristol channel....can but hope!
At 'Rutty' yesterday we were watching at least four hobbies hunting over lagoons...often quite low, skimming a few feet above water. As close as the hobbies were, it was impossible to observe they're actual 'prey' items. Frequently lowering they're chrome yellow legs like a plane coming in to land...they would snatch an 'invisible' gnat and power on thru...aborting they're 'landing' and withdrawing 'undercarriage'...!
I wonder how many gnats/midges make up a decent meal?!! Reckon they must be relishing the forthcoming emergence of hawker 'dragons'....yum!
 
I've just massaged another couple of shots into some form of respectability for my blog, so I thought I'd share them here too.

BTW halftwo, you have a super thread going here and a recent new convert to the HAS (Hobby Appreciation Society)!
 

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Just had my first hobby of the year, flying along the edge of the probable breeding wood, then gaining height and rocketing down to mob a kestrel. I watched it for over an hour. What a bird. Dont think they reared any young last year as the weather here was apalling. Hopefully this year will be different.
 
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