. . . but it’s a bird, not an avocation. In fact, until yesterday morning I didn’t know what a hobby was until I got the following picture (I’ve cropped it a bit) from reader Christian with this note:
It’s a bank holiday here in London, and I spent some of the afternoon on the bank of the Thames watching a Hobby, a pretty rare sight in London. Not the best of shots, but attached are a couple of photos, including one of it eating a dragonfly which I saw it catch in flight. Alas I’m not a good enough photographer to have caught the hunt itself, but an amazing sight.
Here’s one of Christian’s shots; you can see the dragonfly in the hobby’s talons.
But of course I didn’t know what a “hobby” is, so I asked Christian and got this answer:
A hobby is a small falcon. It migrates to Africa following swifts/swallows, and breeds in the uk, although there aren’t many of them around (I think they are however slightly more common that the peregrine). They are amazing in the air and can catch dragonflies, swifts and swallows on the wing—first time I’ve seen it today, an incredible sight.
Wikipedia tells me (shoot me; it seems pretty reliable on biology) that there are actually four falcons in a monophyletic group, each of which is called a “hobby.” This one is apparently the Eurasian hobby, Falco subbuteo, whose skills are described below:
It flies powerfully and fast. It will take large insects, such as dragonflies, which it transfers from talons to beak and eats while soaring slowly in circles. It also captures small bats and small birds like swallows, swifts, pipits etc. in flight. Its speed and aerobatic skills enable it to take swallows and even swifts on the wing, and Barn Swallows or House Martins have a characteristic “hobby” alarm call. It is known to harass swallows while they are roosting and dispersing from roosts. When not breeding, it is crepuscular, hawking principally in the mornings and evenings. While on migration, they may move in small groups.
Have other readers seen this bird in London?
I don’t suppose you’re aware of the “flick-to-click” tabletop football game named after this bird either… ?
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one wild anywhere in the UK, at least not knowingly (I’ve seen many generic falcons).
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Substitute “hobby” for “game” and you see the derivation more clearly.
The original classification – by Linnaeus himself – of the Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo, was Falco buteo, so it seems as though the hobby was originally thought of as a “lesser buzzard” or something similar.
Well it would be easy to catch a swallow if it were carrying a cocoanut. Unladen is a different matter altogether.
Beat me to it, Matt! Well, great minds, and all that…
African or European swallow?
Never knowingly seen a hobby in my city in the UK (Worcester) but peregrines are become less uncommon in urban areas. My local cathedral – as is a disused church – (well they have to have SOME useful function) is used as a roost for peregrines…
https://www.facebook.com/worcesterperegrines
I’ve not seen a Hobby in London, but I’ve seen them in my neck of the woods near Salisbury in Wiltshire.
I’ve seen both the hunting behaviours described – when hunting dragonflies they appear very relaxed and fly along the lake at my local reserve quite slowly, catching and eating dragonflies on the wing. When hunting for hirundines and swifts they will often stoop and chase them – they are incredibly agile birds. Who would have thought anything could catch a Swift in the air!
From a distance in the air they look like an incredibly big swift with very swept back wings. One of my favourite birds!
I was surprised to see wild parakeets in London last time I was there, but apparently they’ve been around since the 1850s (though some believe they’re the great-great-grandchicks of Jimi Hendrix’s pets http://www.forteantimes.com/strangedays/mythbusters/2725/the_parakeets_of_london.html)
You’re at the top of a slippery slope, Jerry, and I’ll warn you now: birding is highly addictive, and can even be dangerous to your health, welfare and bank account. Beware! That way lies madness!
Catches swifts and dragonflies on the wing? That is very impressive!
Nice shot Christian, thanks!
We have them in Sweden too, but they are rare. I’ve never seen one. :-/
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds estimates the population at about 2000 pairs in the UK. It occurs mainly in the southern half of England and I used to see them quite regularly when I lived further south but not now I live in the north of England.
The presence of a hobby nearby is often first revealed by excitement in the local swallow and martin flocks.
I don’t imagine that it is commonly seen in central London (it wouldn’t be the first place one would suggest to search for one!) but it is surprising the range of wildlife that is recorded there (as is also the case for New York City and other major cities I believe).
It is a very smart bird and always a pleasure to see. Dragonflies are a favourite prey and are often consumed on the wing with the bird bending its head down to reach the insect in its talons.
I’ve seen hobbies (or one of them twice) flying low over the place where I work in North Fremantle. Australian Hobby, that is.
Just saw it again, not quite so low. 3 sightings in 3 years.
What has been one of the great success stories of British bird conservation has been the re-introduction of the magnificent Red Kite. Predominately to be found in central Wales (nr Llangurig) they are now to be found all over the Chilterns as anyone who has driven along the M40 and M4 can confirm. Saw one myself near Hungerford the other day ..
Living in Kent (UK) I’ve seen dozens of Hobbys, they are a regular passage migrant here. My best encounter was when, some years ago, cycling through a local housing estate, I had to brake for a Hobby chasing a House Sparrow at eye level in the middle of the road.
Last year I saw what might have been a hobby (they are uncommmon in Japan) hawking at bats near where I live on the outskirts of Tokyo – but with a signal lack of success: the bats slipped aside every time and escaped.
I used to occasionally see birds of prey in the air when I lived near railway land about 5 miles from the centre of London, but never identified a Hobby.
I’ve seen a couple in London this year. The first was passing high up when my local peregrine juveniles started screeching at it, and I saw another recently flying over the Thames.
A couple of years ago I happened to pass a local council sport field in West London at dusk when I saw what looked like a raptor swooping around. Investigating, I found that it was a hobby catching flying beetles (cockchafers, I think). It would catch one, eat it on the wing, turn around a get another, and repeat. Pretty effortless. After about 5 minutes it left, but it was back at the same time on the following two evenings. Also in the field were a couple of kestrels. They would watch for a beetle going to land and run/flap after it in an undignified manner. The carrion crows also in the field would sit until a beetle flew close overhead and try to jump up and catch it. The hobby was most successful, followed by the kestrels.
The London recording wiki shows quite a few hobby sightings recently. http://londonbirders.wikia.com/wiki/LatestNews
I have had hobbies visit my mountain farm here in France for about 20 years. They come about five times a day through the season and their presence is signalled by a chorus of alarmed swallows who chase them. The are difficult to identify from a distance, but here are some pointers. When arriving for an attack they make large half-circles of about 200 metres diameter at a hundred or so metres high. When flying straight, they tend to fly at twice treetop height. When carrying prey they fly at three quarters treetop height. (Cuckoos fly at three quarters tree-top height) They love ‘bouncing’ over roofs from side to side of a building. (Compared to sparrow hawks who bounce either side of a hedge) The raucous swallow noise is only made at hobbies. Once you identify that swallow tone of voice, you can recognise that hobbies are outside simply from the noise. They only rarely take swallows in flight, but have a sneaky way of pouncing upon baby swallows who are fresh from the nest and sitting on the telephone wires.
Bird-watching is one of life’s greatest wasters of time, second only to puffing our egos by posting on JAC’s blog. But watch out for insects! I bought a used illustrated insect book and lost the month of June! I’m now off to stare at dinosaurs, called geese. I think that computer graphics dinosaurs must have been modelled upon geese. It’s like having scenes from Jurassic Park in your farmyard. One day, ‘Goose Studies’ will be a major at university.
Konrad Lorenz would be pleased.
I have not seen one in London but when I learned birding in London in th e60’s there were about 80 parirs in the UK. Ca 500 pairs now according to the ‘Birds of the Western Palearctic’.
I regularly see a bird of prey in central London. But it is admittedly usually sarried around by the falconer in Trafalgar Square and employed to chase away the pigeons.
About 20 years ago, the RSPB released a pair of red kites in the Chiltern Hills, not far from Oxford. This was as part of a captive breeding-for-release program to re-introduce these beautiful birds to areas from which they had vanished. They are magnificent large birds, but as carrion-feeders, they are not a danger to livestock or pets. Red Kites were also released in other areas and are doing extremely well, despite a few cases of deliberate poisoning.
Red Kites are now a common site over the centre of Oxford, and I regularly see up to 5 of them circling over nearby houses, probably because someone is regularly feed them. I’ve yet to see one roost, but have often seen one glide overhead, low enough to see its identification rings.
A few years ago, a buzzard decided to take a breather in a tree opposite our house, which resulted in much mobbing by the local crows. The kites don’t seem to induce the same kind of response, and I love to know whether this is because of their size, or because the crows (and gulls, for that matter) recognise the kites as not being a hazard.
And just to show how amazingly manoeuvrable these birds are and that they can actually catch swifts, check this website:
http://www.birdwatching.co.uk/videos/Hobbies-chasing-a-Swift
The profile comparison backs up what I said about them looking like a giant swift!