Hobby Thread 2009 (1 Viewer)

[John Barber]

All's Well In Hobby Land

18.40 - 19.40

A nice benign evening to venture out.

Unusually, apart from pigeons flying endlessy backwards and forwards - many probably owing their lives to H's weekend endevours - absolutely nothing was happening; no sign of the Hobbies

For forty minutes or more I scanned the skys, occasionaly, momentarily mistaking a far off swift for a far off falcon. Sometimes you can look too hard.

I turned my attention to the nest tree, not much happening, a chicks head and back occasionally visable. Then all of a sudden, that Ke Ke Ke call.

I decided to leave my binoc's trained on the nest, hoping an adult might make a brief appearance with some food. Then without warning, and totally unexpectedly, a hobby came in from the left and right simultaneously, meeting at mid point right in front of the nest tree. Collision seemed inevitable but at the very last moment both birds arched upwards into parallel trajectory. A brief tumble - another classic food pass. I've marvelled at the Red Arrows in years gone by, but they are as but nothing in comparison.

Both birds then disappeared to the right, the area they use to pluck their food before feeding the chicks.

It's just a case then of setting the watch - will it be three minutes before the female takes the food to the nest, or will it be four .

Four minutes it is. Right on cue. And suddenly the chicks seem to take on baby penguin proportions through my enfeebled optics. Another feed.

And so I left them too it. As I said, all's well in Hobby land, very well indeed.

 

[halftwo]

Cheers, John.
It does sound good.
H

 

[halftwo]

Aug 5th.

09:00 - 11:00

Warm, cloudy.

Two chicks visible from time to time during the whole watch this morning: I didn't ever see three all at once. They seem fine and big.

JB & Sid both along too today, Sid missing out on the early action.

Female came in with prey - flew to an unseen perch where we could hear her calling. The male was there too somewhere. She (or both) must have consumed the food themselves - or cached it. The young look fine - so we concluded that they had been recently fed.

The male was up and away before we caught him way off south - then the female much closer, going to catch up. But she returned soon and left him to it.

One of them was up high later - alongside Swifts in a huge loose bunch - all insect-catching together. A Sparrowhawk came through and soared - getting mobbed by the Swifts a little - then started to plummet vertically - I thought stooping at prey - before I saw a Hobby had caught her up before swerving away! We all later saw the same Sparrowhawk skimming an adjacent field.

Unfortunately more farming activity began right by the nest at 09:45 - not particularly necessary right now, and as I left it was still going on.
Let's hope this new disturbance is short-lived.

One of the Hobbies was up again - getting so high as to disappear - insect-catching leisurely as it went.

 

[sid ashton]

05th August Later

H/2 - after you left the farmer continued for a short time but it wasn't apparently disturbing the birds as the female was sitting quite happily in the plucking tree - really good views. JB and I left at about 11.45.

 

[John Barber]

Enjoyed the morning with you both. Lets hope the birds tolerate the trench digging under their tree.

Focal Point Optics have fixed me up with a small scope this afternoon, so I'll nip out after tea and check how things are going ( need to be back by 7.45 as Man U are playing live on MUTV ! )

 

[joannec]

New Forest Hobbies

I keep looking in on this webcam family. I never see the parents but single chick is doing great. He/she is getting black around the face and tail feathers are starting to grow. It looks bigger every time I see it so it must be getting plenty to eat.

 

[John Barber]

Guess What ?

18.15 - 19.00

A quick trip to the nest site with my borrowed scope soon produced an unexpected result.

Excellent visability and strong sunshine enabled good veiwing of the nest.

An adult called almost immediately, came across the nest tree and disappeared to the right. All then went quiet.

I focused on the nest. A large chick stood on the edge of the nest, flapping his wings, he bowed in my direction and I could immediately see the feathers on his back looked almost complete - he was almost as dark as the adult. I'm no expert, but this bird looks as though it could be out of the nest in two or three days.

Then I saw the next chick, a day or so behind. Then, amazingly, another little head suddenly appeared. The third chick !! And the first time I'd seen all three. The third chick still looks small and he must be a few days behind the others, but he's still alive and hanging on in there. What a star.

Incidentally, the farmers had packed up and gone home for the day. A herd of cows between the second and third stiles prevented me from checking things out from the barley field.

 

[halftwo]

New Forest Hobbies

I keep looking in on this webcam family. I never see the parents but single chick is doing great. He/she is getting black around the face and tail feathers are starting to grow. It looks bigger every time I see it so it must be getting plenty to eat.

Thanks for the update Joanne. Wish we could post some photos from here - a whole nest overflowing!

18.15 - 19.00

A quick trip to the nest site with my borrowed scope soon produced an unexpected result.
Excellent visability and strong sunshine enabled good veiwing of the nest.
An adult called almost immediately, came across the nest tree and disappeared to the right. All then went quiet.
I focused on the nest. A large chick stood on the edge of the nest, flapping his wings, he bowed in my direction and I could immediately see the feathers on his back looked almost complete - he was almost as dark as the adult. I'm no expert, but this bird looks as though it could be out of the nest in two or three days.
Then I saw the next chick, a day or so behind. Then, amazingly, another little head suddenly appeared. The third chick !! And the first time I'd seen all three. The third chick still looks small and he must be a few days behind the others, but he's still alive and hanging on in there. What a star.
.

What a star indeed, John.

Did you see anything at Atly Sewage?

H

 

[John Barber]

Did you see anything at Atly Sewage?

H

No, Sid and I went to Woolston Eyes.

Just the usual suspects. Nothing special.

 

[halftwo]

Aug.6th: Very Quiet

10:00 - 12:30

Hot, sunny, still

What a change in the weather - for weeks and weeks we've not had this.
A quick check on farming activity round the back: still ongoing but temporarily stopped.

Three chicks stirring from time to time, but mostly torpid in the heat.
Butterfly-filled fields and fly-filled skies.
A cut-from-butter young Willow warbler flutters in the nearest tree, Buzzards tilt in the blue. Cumuli gather.

A Sparrowhawk silently skims my shins and lands close by, then slides away to the next tree. Voles' squeaks are the loudest sound until a passing Goldfinch contrives, with a simultaneously calling Blackcap, to sound like a Stonechat.

Two Kestrels circle, Swallows are high. Hares doze in the field. A Brown hawker zigzags above the crop. A Small copper basks by the hedge.

Two hours in, on the stroke of midday, in comes the male Hobby, low from behind the trees, checks the nest out, perhaps - without stopping - then begins a slow leisurely lift on invisible thermal, until he becomes a speck.

Into the vastness of his domain he continues higher, until at maybe 10,000 feet, he simply vanishes between photons.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Into the vastness of his domain he continues higher, until at maybe 10,000 feet, he simply vanishes between photons.

Gee, Halftwo, you got bionic eyes?

 

[John Barber]

Mystery

14.15 - 14.45

Busy day doing jobs, so only time for a quick trip so far.

A mob of swallows chased a magpie from one of the farm builings as I went past. It looked like it had a chick in it's beak - one less for the Hobbies.

Heading to the viewing point, the adults were calling again. I seem to be lucky with my timing at the moment.

Straight onto the nest. The female ( presumably ) is feeding the chicks. I can only see two of them. She strenuously tears strips off the victim, assiduously feeding each chick in turn.

Fifteen minutes later and she's still ripping up the carcass, continuing to feed the now almost disinterested brood. Only when a dog walker comes down the side of the field does she depart the nest.

The dog walker leaves. She returns almost immediately - and starts tearing into the carcass with even more vigour ( she's up against the tough stringy bits by the look of it !! ) This carries on for another ten minutes - what on earth is it she's feeding to the chicks ? It must be a lot bigger than a swift.

I haven't seen the little guy ( or gal ) yet. And then I begin to wonder... I know it's a horrible thought, but she couldn't be feeding a dead chick to it's siblings could she ?? Oh dear.

Just as I was beginning to think this may be the case - up pops the little one again. It's OK. ( I think we need to name this chick Miracle ! )

So what did she spend at least 25 minutes feeding to the chicks. Any ideas H ?

PS decided my loaned scope wasn't up to the job of watching the nest from this distance, so I upgraded to a better one. If the adult brings a mosquito into the nest, I'll see it with this !

I will be on site after tea.

 

[halftwo]

So what did she spend at least 25 minutes feeding to the chicks. Any ideas H ?

I will be on site after tea.

That's a big meal John, - no idea what - Starling perhaps. Or maybe it was two or even three birds in one go.

I might be down there later - depends if my neighbour needs help fixing my new loo! I think he will - but no idea how long the job will take.

 

[halftwo]

Gee, Halftwo, you got bionic eyes?

Some round 'ere - they do say that, arrh!

 

[John Barber]

All Quiet In The Countryside

18.30 - 19.45

Nothing really to report.

Everywhere very peaceful tonight. Warm, dullish and no wind.

Chicks and one adult half asleep. No sign of the other.

Had a scout around for these elusive barn owls a farmer claims live in the vicinity. I didn't see anything, I even kept watch on one of the nest boxes he's put up, but I probably left too early. Dusk was still another hour off.

Lets see what happens tomorrow ( it can't be too long now before the oldest chick attempts to fly ? )

 

[halftwo]

Aug.7th: Early Morning.

06:00 - 08:00

Warmish & clear, mists.

Mists along the canal and in fields yet unlit. Roads full of Wood pigeons and Collared doves.

A single Grey partridge near the site. And a nest just stuffed with Hobby young - standing right up on the rim of the nest. Two are now dark and Hobby shaped, the smallest is still white and fluffy - but a good size.
They all shuffled around and the older two did some wing flapping, and all were head-bobbing. One then gave a very audible "kyee yee yee yee"!

At 6:30 the adults were on the perch tree together; I don't know where they'd been before. The male, perch just higher than his mate seemed to be eyeing prey - she was impassive.

A cow-disturbed juv. Yellow wagtail sat in the next field. A Nuthatch sang.

Suddenly the male Hobby was away to the north - going low towards a nearby House martin colony; I soon lost him.
But five minutes later the female was calling - and flew towards the plucking tree - where she stayed for just a minute or two - while he was back at the perch.

I focussed on the nest - and in she came with the prey, calling excitedly again. She carefully tore it up for the smallest chick - it got the lot as far as I could tell. The other two watched patiently. I saw the little one chomp down a feathery gulp at one point. Five minutes later the meal was gone and the female joined her mate on the perch. Now both were alert.

Twenty minutes - off went the male again - this time she followed. And within five minutes she was back with a cry and more food. I wasn't at the nest-visible spot - but she must have dumped the bird at the nest and left - for she was back at the perch tree within a few seconds: I think the older chicks were probably scrapping over it as I left.

 

[John Barber]

06:00 - 08:00

That was an early start !

My wife wants to come down today ( she's on holiday. ) 11am will be her early rise !!!

 

[John Barber]

Jaunt In The Sun

12.00 - 14.00

Myself and my wife met up with Sid Ashton and his wife Bernie at the viewing meadow.

We couldn't have planned it better. It's a lovely day, the suns shining and all is well with the world.

Enjoying the sun is the male hobby in his perch tree, discharging his security duties while the female is probably out hunting.

We watch him and the chicks in the nest. There's some movement from the youngsters but it's mainly minor adjustments of position.

We chat and watch but nothing much happens for the first hour. I'm anxious that our wife's manage to catch a glimpse of some of the amazing sights their husbands have already seen in recent days ( that way they realise we're not completely mad ! )

Sid goes for a recce down towards the barley field and the male departs his perch.

As Sid is returning, the adults call, something is about to happen. Sid and Pauline have the binoc's and see the female comes in left to right past the nest tree. The male appears and they perform a food pass. It's the first time either have ever seen this happen, they join a rare and privileged few. Sid is ecstatic - and so is my wife.

I confidently tell them that the female will take the food to the nest in the next three or four minutes. We watch the nest - for twenty minutes - nothing happens !

I go for a recce towards the barley field and Sid spots the female on the nest - barely visable behind the chicks - she's finally come to feed them. By now the chicks are up and highly visable, the best views of the chicks so far. Sid is amazed at how big they are.

One last trip down to the valley by Sid and his wife enable them to see both adults together in the same tree. Their day is complete. And so is ours.

Time for home

 

[halftwo]

Hi John, sorry to have missed you all. Am just off there again. Glad to know all's well.

 

[halftwo]

Part Three

15:30 - 17:00

Hot & sunny, winds light.

JB saw the above post & met me there.

Three young in the nest restless - and two are showing dark caps and moustachials now (light is good in the pm.)

After a while a female Hobby came in from the back and began to rise and circle. She began catching insects and gave us great views for a long time.
Then, suddenly a male was with her. They flew together, leisurely and playing around in the high sky.

Then the female was really going for something we couldn't immediately see - she was so far up - but then we saw a Swallow twisting around her.
The male joined in but they were beaten by a Swallow rising even more rapidly than they. They continued to fly catch until we lost them.

We lost them because we heard a Hobby calling from the trees! Then the female came to the nest - so at least one - and probably both - of the Hobbies we had been watching wasn't one of the pair.
So, maybe both intruders together, over the site. Strange.

Our female then got up to hunt - and again we were treated to great, but dwindling views of an insect-hunting Hobby. Eventually she twinkled away in the distance, returning some ten minutes later to the perch, with more calls.

A Sparrowhawk came through to finish off the evening nicely.

By the by: this is the second day without visible Swifts - anyone else missing theirs suddenly?