When I was around 10, I was given a copy of a coffee-table sized bird book, which implied that the Hobby could only be seen regularly in England around the area of the New Forest in Hampshire. Indeed, in Yorkshire at that time a Hobby was a bird, which I never saw, or expected to see. However, they are one of the relatively few birds for which the last quarter-of-a-century has been a success story. The UK population was estimated at only 100 pairs in 1968, but in 2019 this had increased to 2050 pairs. Some authorities believe that this could be a gross underestimate of the actual number of birds in Britain each summer. However, the estimate needs testing by a thorough scientific survey to produce a more reliable figure.
Hobbies have almost certainly benefited from the increase in numbers of dragonfly species and their relative abundance in wetland habitats, which in turn is probably a beneficial result of global warming. From virtually no chance of seeing this bird in 1968, to the first Yorkshire breeding attempt in the late 1980s, the Hobby now breeds within 20 miles of my home. In addition, Spurn Point is a reliable place in Autumn to spot Hobbies as they migrate down the East coast. However, the Birding with Flowers classes are going to at least 2 locations where they are almost guaranteed in May, and there is a chance that they may also be seen at a couple of other locations. So far we have not managed to obtain really good quality close-up photos of this dashing Falcon, so this fairly distant photo of an unexpected sighting on 7 May 2021 at Allerthorpe Common will have to suffice.
No comments:
Post a Comment