Tuesday 24 July 2012

Lone Hobby hunting

This evening watching from our bedroom window, I initially saw a Hobby hunting west of the Fallowfields area just north of Parkhill Hotel grounds. I thought they may have been two birds, but when minutes later just one started hunting over Fallowfields, I think there was just one bird involved this evening. It put on a fantastic display catching Cockchafers. Although they were fewer July bugs flying tonight. perhaps the Hobbies have taken a considerable toll of them already? The single Hobby flew up and down, occasionally including spurts of speed and when they caught the Cockchafer it would sore whilst the head was down eating the insect grasped in its talons below, then past of the body of the insect would drop to the ground. A Pipistrelle Bat was also seen preying no doubt on smaller insects, plus a Lesser- black backed Gull tried to copy the feeeding technique of the Hobby. The Hobby finally flew strongly west at 9.15pm. A Common Frog was also seen in the garden by the runner beans. Incredibly, I walked out to the back garden and 3 Brown Hawkers took to the air.

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