Share

Mark's wildlife encounters - the hobby

Amy Lewis 

Right nature lovers it's time for my second blog! This piece is all about one of my favorite birds here at Brockholes, the elegant and speedy Hobby.

The hobby is one of our most special birds down on the reserve - below is my guide to spotting one of these marvellous creatures for those who are unsure what one is or how to identify them.

The hobby belongs to the falcon family of raptors; they are similar to the kestrel in size with pointed wings and a square tail. Adult birds are slate grey in colour with a dark crown and two moustache stripes, the underparts are white with black streaks on the thighs and rufous red undertail coverts, hence the most distinctive identification feature the red trousers!

Younger birds are browner with scaled upper parts and are streaked with buffy thighs. 

Hobby in flight

Andy Morffew

Hobbies are birds of open country such as farmland, wetlands and marshes. These agile falcons are rapid, clocking out at speeds of up to 99mph!  Their favorite prey is dragonflies, however they will also predate swallows, swifts and martins (who have their own special hobby alarm call), bats are also infrequently consumed. When hobbies capture their prey they transfer the food from talon to beak and it is eaten on the wing.

Hobbies nest in old disused crow and magpie nests, high up in the tree line, giving a great view of their territory. They lay between 2-4 yellow buff coloured eggs at any one time - incubation takes up to 28 days with both parents sharing the duties. Fledging takes place roughly a month after the eggs have been layed. Hobbies tend to live for about five years in the wild, with the record being 14 and a half years!

Hobby in flight

Jon Hawkins 

Hobbies are bold and courageous birds, as a result they are used in falconry, they are trained to hawk birds like quails, larks and hoopoes.

Between 2,050-2800 pairs nest in the UK and have spread right across the country. Of our four falcon species hobbies are the only ones who reside in sub saharan Africa for most of the year, outside of summer. 

Did you know...The creator of the popular football game Subbuteo was an avid bird watcher and used the latin name of the hobby for his creation, as it was his favorite bird.

So nature lovers, get yourself down to Brockholes and see these beautiful birds, summer is the best time of year to see these fabulous falcons hawking for dragonflies, swallows, swifts and martins. Happy wildlife watching, Mark. 

Related blog posts