Hobby

The warm dry weather has broken and we seem to be in for wetter, cooler conditions over the next week at least but I managed to squeeze in 20K on the bike in the early afternoon and had a few interesting sightings among the 30+ species that I came across.

While crossing the Bonnieure near Saint Colombe I heard the alarm call of a small raptor and fortunately managed to locate its source within the canopy because the bird had chosen to sit at the top of a dead tree. Almost all the hobbies that I see are in flight so it was interesting to view this perched individual. The light wasn't good enough to see his red leggings but his white cheeks, moustache and heavily streaked breast showed up well. I presume the bird was on his return migration and perhaps was tired as it didn't change position during the ten minutes that I spent watching it. The possible source of its alarm was a crow which as sat elsewhere in the tree.

Earlier I'd watched another piece of interesting raptor action when a sparrowhawk was chased away by a kestrel.

Yesterday's wheatears seem to have moved on as only two birds were in the same area today and there were no whinchats to be seen.

The meadow pipit which was sat on a power line was the first I'd seen for a long time.

Other species:

Grey heron
Buzzard
Pheasant
Green woodpecker
Great spotted woodpecker
Wood pigeon
Collared dove
Moorhen
Crow
Magpie
Jay
Blue tit
Great tit
Long tailed tit
Wren
Robin
Pied flycatcher
Nuthatch
Blackbird
Black redstart
Cirl bunting
Chaffinch
Stonechat
White wagtail
House sparrow
Starling
Chiffchaff