Hobby Thread 2010 (1 Viewer)

[sid ashton]

I believe birds are seen fairly regularly from the tower hide but you may have to sit around for a while before they show. Pick a dry preferably sunny day to give yourself a better chance.

CB

Also watch the timing of your visit :-

1 April- 30 September the reserve is open:-

Weekdays 9am - 5pm (closed Fridays)
Weekends 10am - 6pm
Bank holidays (except Good Friday) 10.00am - 6.00pm

PS don't sit in the tower hide you will see not a lot going over from up there and the local lads generally sit/stand around the tables in front of the hide.

 

[saluki]

How common are Hobby in the Cheshire/Greater Manchester area? I plan to go to Risley Moss - is it any good for Hobby with the current weather?

There's been at least one hobby present at Risley every day this week, three were there on Monday between 2-3.00pm, and five were seen together on one day the week before. Sunny days are preferable but they have been few and far between recently and the hobbies have still been present. It's very rare to see them chasing hirundines or swifts over the moss, they feed almost exclusively on dragonflies. The almost-resident hobby appears to be a 2nd year male and generally perches on a dead birch at the back of the moss, he does most of his hunting during short forays from this perch.

Cheers
Jonathan

 

[sid ashton]

A Glimmer of Hope????

This morning 08.30 - 09.45, Sunny and still

Arrived later than normal to find what I believed was the female in the same perch tree as I left her on Tuesday evening and there she sat for about 45 minutes looking almost bored - in truth there was very little activity at all. Just as I was considering leaving the male went over my head carrying prey - a bird that I could not distinguish. The female rose to meet her mate and a clean food pass took place. The female headed in the direction of the nest tree although I didn't see her going in and the male over to his now familiar place in the copse. There was some noise from the direction of the nest tree and I found the female now two trees away from it. Neither bird was feeding or preening, just sitting. So had the food been taken to the nest? - was the noise from young? A glimmer of hope. H should be on site as I type, let's hope he brings good news.

 

[halftwo]

Well, as soon as I got the phone call from Sid, I raced down there (as you can imagine). I had had a late night last night so woke late. (I'd only just switched my phone on when Sid called.)

Just before he called I'd been out in the garden and the female Hobby came overhead, then turned back towards the site!

Anyway - female in one tree & male in another when I arrived. Young Buzzards in the air for the first time this year, and this brought alarms from the female Hobby (& the Little owl) - perhaps a good sign?

Soon the male had gone without me seeing him take off. Later the female took to the skies over a Grey partridge family (at least seven young) and began insect-catching in the warm bright sky (what a change). She kept her station within a couple of hundred yards of the nest tree (another good sign?), then the male was with her. They circled away gaining height. The farmer stopped for a brief chat & I lost them both, so I came back for breakfast.

I'll be back later.

 

[halftwo]

Big News!!!!

Early PM.

Now: I'll cut a long story shorter; you'll see why!

Arrived to find both perched up as before - and then they were up hunting insects (lots of dragons about today (more of that later)). I lost them once or twice and re-found them still up in the blue.

The female chivvied Buzzards, and at one point a Sparrowhawk, getting quite shirty at times - a good sign.

Anyway, after a long time with some excellent views I saw a third bird way in the distance really going for Swallows. Another neighbour? Then the pair returned to different perch trees and I was about to come away when I heard screams from the direction of the nest tree.

Next a male came in with prey, hands it to the screaming female and carries on away again. The female takes the prey to the perch tree - where a male is also perching!!!

After a few seconds she takes the prey to the nest and delivers it whole - and comes back to perch near the male.

So: not only is there at least one well-grown youngster in the nest, but it would also appear that the female has acquired a second mate!!

Gobsmacked!!!

 

[sid ashton]

Early PM.
So: not only is there at least one well-grown youngster in the nest, but it would also appear that the female has acquired a second mate!!

Gobsmacked!!!

H this looks a whole lot more promising than my "Glimmer of Hope" this morning - glad I was late getting there :bounce:

 

[John Barber]

Just arrived back from relatives to read this surprising and unexpected news - H, I guess you're on cloud nine.

I'll be out a little later if I get chance.

 

[joannec]

I guess you're on cloud nine.

.

Indeed you must be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:t:

 

[halftwo]

Indeed you must be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:t:

YES! More to follow: we can't work out how seemingly-non-existant activity can turn to this!

 

[halftwo]

A Thoroughly Spectacular Afternoon

Later this afternoon JB & I went out, joined, after the initial storm of raptors, by Sid.

A call nearby had us turn to see two Kestrels and a Sparrowhawk nearby, flying together, but, convinced we'd heard a Hobby we scanned around - then I spotted a Peregrine carrying a Wood pigeon coming in from just to our right!

As she (for 'twas an adult female) lost height and landed in the field, a female Hobby flew over her. Within two minutes a Crow flew down and put the Peregrine off - much to our surprise - and the Peregrine flew up to a distant pylon. The Hobby flew around then made its way back towards us - landing in a tree.

Only then did Sid turn up - but he did see the Peregrine before she took off and headed away west.

But in the meantime a male Hobby flew in and passed a small bird to the female - who took it noisily to her tree. As before he didn't pause - continuing on his way to hunt again. She sat for a while - perhaps not wanting to move while the Peregrine was present, we thought, but then took off to go for a drangonfly - which took rapid avoiding action. What happened to the dead bird we didn't discover.

In beautifully warm and sunny weather we watched the female Hobby catch many insects in rapid succession, never far away, showing off her skills and her colours, before she returned to her tree.

We were just going as a Hobby approached from way off - then another! One came towards the nest tree, the other swerved south. Surely three birds again!

Once again these birds left us stunned.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Well done Guys!! Glad to hear all is well again!! Might have to come back for another visit.

CB

 

[username]

I am so pleased for you guys....!!!:t:

These hobbies sure know how to give you the run around don't they...?

I am still harboring hopes that i may still yet discover my local pair perhaps nesting nearby....[you know the score with my birds H2]..!

Have had two sightings of a hunting male over past few days..i enclose a 'dot' shot of one sighting....

ps...i don't know about me being on 'cloud nine' just yet.....but i attach a pic of a 'cloud seven' that passed my way recently....shame there wasn't a hobby flying thru it..

All the best...!

 

[halftwo]

Cheers, U. You never know with these birds!

 

[halftwo]

A Nest Inspection

Evening on site. I'd arranged with Paul (BF's NoIdea) and his friend, Craig, with a ringing licence, to meet and recce the nest site with a view to ringing the young. Sid and Mrs Sid were there coincidentally.

With permission obtained from the farmer we approached, putting up the female Hobby from nearby to slip away silently. At last we could see the nest - and first glimpses showed a white downy youngster. Good views weren't possible - but a second youngster, well feathered and showing Hobby-like features put its head up for a while.

We left soon, and retired to our usual vantage spot. Ringing not possible because of the delicate branches high in the tree, meaning the danger to both ringer and nest were too great.

Soon a food pass was witnessed and the pair were back with prey - now we could hear the youngster calling and the female was up to the nest within the minute. Before long they left, separately, to hunt.

As twilight decended the Swallows were swarming - a prelude to roosting. Suddenly the male Hobby was amongst them, speeding through the flock without connecting. We lost him for several minutes until a repeat of the action happened against a greying sky, Swallows again managing to avoid his clutches. The Hobby flew to a favourite perch - and we left him there.

As we were packing up the Little owl finally gave a view.

 

[halftwo]

Early am.

Quick look at six am. : food came in from the male - who then did a quick flyover of me before going to his perch. Female to nest.

 

[John Barber]

Female Goes Crazy

15.00 - 16.00 Warm, cloud with some sunshine, breezy. 20c

A chance for a quick look this afternoon after hearing ( and reading ) about Monday's escapades. Good to know there are at least two chicks in the nest.

Nothing much happened to start with, just some verbal abuse from four rough looking middle aged men who passed by on bicycles - don't you just hate the morons of this world.

The farmer and his hand were engaged in ploughing one of the near bye fields to the east - presumably getting ready to plant next years crop, when four buzzards appeared over last years nest tree. By this time I could hear one of the hobbies alarm calling for several minutes from the vicinity of this years nest tree until it finally rose, in an obviously agitated state, into the sky. Whether it was the buzzards alarming the female I don't know, but probably by pure chance one of the birds came in the direction of the nest tree at tree top height - queue one angry female hobby !

I've seen the Hobbies mob many birds over the last two summers but this was perhaps the most persistent and tenacious assault I've seen. The buzzard, still flying towards the nest tree, was intercepted a good three hundred yards inbound, the female really having a go and the buzzard twisting and turning to meet her advances. Unfortunately, the buzzard, unknowingly I suspect, flew just above the nest tree and received even more dive bombing until chased three hundred yards to the other side ( and out of view ) but the Hobby alarm calls still clearly audible. The alarms suddenly became louder again, the beleaguered buzzard had turned around and blundered back across the nest with the female still in hot pursuit. I reckon she must have made over fifty swoops during several minutes before the badgered buzzard b**gered off back to it's mates !

The agitated female returned to her tree, still calling, to be joined a couple of minutes later by the male who flew about with great sympathetic gusto - an admirable if late display of solidarity I suspect.

 

[sid ashton]

Quiet Time

17.30 - 18.45 - sunny with the odd spot of rain

Just as we arrived one of the adults shot into the nest tree from the back field - and that was the end of the action - for the next hour or so the male sat in the copse and the female two trees from the nest tree. Lots of calling from the nest area and the female but no other activity.

 

[halftwo]

Third in the Trio.

19:30 - 20:30

A huge dark thundercloud just cleared the site as I arrived, an oily rainbow smeared across the pastel grey. White billowing tops lit by the setting sun towered into the darkening sky.

And the late reddening shafts of the dying sun picked out a youngster in the nest! Through the smallest of gaps in the tree the juvenile Hobby flapped its wings furiously as it called.

I tried to call JB & Sid - but one had his phone switched off & the other was engaged!

The male Hobby was sitting on his tree to my left, the female on hers to my right. A Sparrowhawk flew in to alight on another tree, a Kestrel glided down to the fence to rip up a vole she had just caught. The female Hobby made a sally and caught an insect - her face shining brightly in the evening light. A Grey partridge croaked an eerie call. The male had gone.

The youngster settled down and disappeared. The female had gone.

 

[sid ashton]

19:30 - 20:30

And the late reddening shafts of the dying sun picked out a youngster in the nest! Through the smallest of gaps in the tree the juvenile Hobby flapped its wings furiously as it called.

H, I had my scope on the area of the nest tree where I believed the nest to be for a good deal of the time I was on site but no luck for me - so well spotted :t:

 

[Himalaya]

Thanks for al the advice. I saw a distant hobby at Risley Moss from the Tower Hide. Must have been in the air for 10 minutes. It was my 2nd Hoby in total and my first northern Hobby! Hopefully have plenty mor to come!