As broods near to fledging for most nests at least, we are approaching the best time of year to find breeding pairs of Hobbies, for a few weeks after fledging as the young Hobbies learn the skills of catching slower insects , then dragonflies as they become more skilled fliers. They are at their most obvious around the nesting area. An old nesting adage says if you want to find this years nest look for last years, and in the case of Hobbies never a truer word spoken; find the juveniles out of the nest and you have a good start for next year as they are likely to return to the area.
It is some respects my favourite part of the season, with no more climbing, no more late evenings watching and hoping for some clue as to where they may be in the vastness of the countryside. Instead casual walks in favoured haunts of the elusive Hobby, after which their long awaited return next spring.
The GRMG book shop has opened its doors. In fact, what we’ve really done is create an affiliation with Amazon whereby they pay us a small percentage in commission for sales that we generate. The books are sold by, and shipped by, Amazon. The prices remain the same as the usual Amazon prices, but your purchase also comes with a warm fuzzy feeling that not only will you be receiving a pristine new book in the post, but you’ll be helping your county’s raptors in the process. Members of the GRMG team have selected some recommended reading of our own, which are now listed on our shop page, and as more of us submit our own picks, hopefully there will be something to suit everyone. Please note that our affiliate plan with Amazon is not restricted to these books only – in fact, anything that you buy through Amazon can benefit GRMG, as long as you start your shopping by using this Amazon link.
We are now ringing the young Hobbies from nests found earlier in the year. Two broods have been ringed so far, with another three to do, plus the possibility of further nests still to be found. Now is a good time again to look for signs of breeding Hobbies, such as food carrying, hunting near concentrations of food such as martin colonies, swallow roosts, etc. In open farmland look for the female on a prominent dead stick in an otherwise healthy tree, on guard near the nest. Wait and watch, and all will be revealed in time.
Rob Husbands has provided this update on what he’s up to now as the ringing season is progressing…
With the majority of our local day time raptors well on the way to fledging young, my attention turns to our only summering falcon – The Hobby.
As I am sure most birders are aware Hobbies are largely insect feeders for much of the year, turning to avian prey mainly during the breeding season, The male quite often presents a Swift to the female early on in their courtship as a mark of his hunting prowess.
The old nest of a Crow is most often selected as the site to lay the falcons eggs – mostly two or three but exceptionally four. I have only had one female lay four eggs. The pair fledged four young once, twice one egg failed to hatch.
Looking for breeding Hobbies can be time consuming and quite daunting at times, but very rewarding at the same time. The sound of Hobbies calling is for me the most electrifying sound in nature, probably a mixture of relief and mild elation when you finally track a pair down.
I tend to observe from a distance early on in the breeding cycle – watching natural behaviour is the key to understanding what is happening in front of you. At this time in late June, food passes near the nest are the best chance of finding breeding birds. To establish whether birds are present in an area the first part of May should show up displaying pairs (potential pairs) which is obviously past now for this year. Because I have logged many territories over many years I do not now have to find the potential pairs as a careful search of known territories usually throws up a few to work on.
Birds calling from known territories is often the first you realise the birds are present. They are fierce in the defence of their nests, especially with well grown young. Several times I have witnessed Buzzards being driven to the floor with repeated attacks, the ludicrous size difference making it quite comical, also young Peregrine and female Goshawk being driven out of the nest area by the feisty birds.
I have three territories so far with birds present, no nests as yet but time will tell.
Tips for Hobby hunters:
Observe from a distance – nothing much can be learnt from over disturbing any bird.
Patience and more patience – if the habitat is right Hobbies will be there somewhere.
Nests can be left for six hours or more in warm weather by the adults although the female will be nearby always, sometimes catching dragonflies and other flying insects near the nest.
Calling at dusk/dark – Anthony Messenger first noticed this as an aid to finding pairs on territory, not always infallible but very useful nevertheless.
The Spring edition of the GRMG newsletter has been issued to everyone on our mailing list. If you’re not on that list, then you can download a copy from our documents page. If you wish to be added to our mailing list for future newsletters, please send an email titled ‘newsletter’ to [email protected].
As per our previous post, GRMG are hosting a raptor identification day, at the International Centre of Birds of Prey on June 20th from 10.30am – 4pm. The day has been designed to help birders and raptor enthusiasts improve identification skills as well as field work skills. Priced at £15, tickets are now available in the GRMG shop. Please note that numbers are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment!
On June 20th we will be hosting a ‘Raptor ID Day’ at the International Centre for Birds of Prey in Newent. This day has been designed to support birders and raptor enthusiasts to help to improve their identification skills as well as field work skills, and will include;
– Information on identification and behaviour of common UK raptor species
– Information on habitats and food sources
– Flying demonstrations of birds
– Field technique
– A chance to observe the species at the centre
The day will cost £15.00 and numbers will be limited. We’re currently smoothing out a few final parts to the day and we will release more information soon. Keep the date free!
It’s now possible to show your support for GRMG with one of our GRMG badges. These 16mm nickel plated clutch back badges, bearing the GRMG logo, are a premium badge and look almost like a piece of jewellery, not too dissimilar from a gentleman’s cuff-link. All proceeds raised are used towards things such as nest boxes, rings, printing annual reports, etc. Head over to the shop to purchase your badge!
Raptor sighting distribution – Dec 2014 to April 2015
This map gives an impression of where you are reporting seeing various species of raptor to GRMG via our online submission form. Click on the map for a large view. It doesn’t represent a complete picture of raptor distribution, but merely where people are seeing them and choosing to report them to us. There is further recording going on in the county outside of GRMG, but all sources are collated to give a clearer picture. What this map does show however, is that GRMG has already established a presence in all corners of the county. More usefully, we can produce similar maps at a higher resolution, for specific species to identify hotspots and ‘notspots’, or to compare year by year records to notice trends in frequency or distribution of records over time.
This kind of analysis is only possible thanks to the grid references that you provide with your records. Over 70% of all the records we’ve received to date contain grid references, which is great. Finding the grid references for your sightings is made really easy with this site – simply click on the map and you’re given the grid reference. Many thanks to everyone for their on-going efforts in reporting their sightings to GRMG.
Andrew Bluett has been examining the records received by both the county recorder and GRMG, of Kestrel sightings in the county, and has compiled a factsheet on the species. The document is planned to be updated periodically as further records are received, but it is available to download now from our documents page, or by following this link. It’s a particularly informative document, drawing on 15 years of records, discussing their decline in the 1970’s and the subsequent fluctuations in population since then, the need for continued monitoring and recording, and the need to establish breeding success when monitoring. Distribution and abundance maps are included, along with some excellent photographs documenting a forest nest site. Download the PDF.
With materials bought with a grant from GNS, and using facilities at ICBP, Rich Harris and Jimmi Hill are busy making Tawny Owl nest boxes. In the Rich’s words, they have made many “first class homes for hooters”, tweaking their designs to maximise the number of boxes they can make with the available materials, whilst at the same time providing boxes that any Tawny Owl would be proud to call home.
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