Walking in castles my new hobby !

[badgerwatcher]

Castles are a bit of an interest of mine, Dan. Walmer castle has very nice grounds for walking, and woodland, as well as being next to a really interesting stretch of beach, Deal is smaller, good, but closed in winter months, very small 'grounds', Dover is my favourite, quite likely to see peregrines there, green woodpeckers and other birds. Good for wild flowers too. All three coastal.

[badgerwatcher]

And of course they all have events such as battle re-enactments, falconry displays, shakespeare performances and Walmer has all sorts of arts and crafts type days. Dover castle was also used recently for the filming of The Other Boleyn Girl.

[badgerwatcher]

Richborough (ruins) is also well worth a visit, and is near Sandwich Bay bird observatory, which is a good place worth investigating.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Ok i wanted to give the new meindl boots a stretch so took a walk around the lovely grounds of Leeds Castle ( my posh neighbours) today....just finished watching the falconry display and as i walked out home accross the estate/farmland i had a lovely close fly over from what im pretty sure was a hobby...had my bins too so i got a good close shot.

My question is....what do hobbys eat when the dragon flies are not around? do they just make do woth other insects?

They take a lot of birds, even in the summer, as well as large insects. They are good at chasing Swifts, Swallows + near me they regularly take Starlings . They nearly all disappear by late September on route to Africa, but have just read of one seen in December as well as other unseasonal birds such as various warblers, Swallows + House Martins. Could your bird have been a male Sparrowhawk? They are grey above with chestnut barring. Maybe Merlin male as others have suggested?

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by vinnychameleon

Dan. Hope you enjoyed it . As far as I know hobbies are only summer visitors. We have a pair that nest near here but they are never around during winter and they have normally left by the end of October. I could be wrong.

Don't merlins appear when the hobbies go (and vice versa)? In that case, the question is, what do merlins eat in the winter? Small birds presumably?

[Paul mabbott]

Is that the Leeds in Kent?
Castle keeps are good because they give you a tremendous view over the neighbourhood (and further) - especially if they themselves are on a high spot - more impressive ones in Yorkshire of course (not to mention Castleton).

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Ok i wanted to give the new meindl boots a stretch so took a walk around the lovely grounds of Leeds Castle ( my posh neighbours) today..............

[Dan Salter]

Yes Leeds in kent which is where i live next tot he castle.

And no definately not a male sparrowhawk.
Im sure it was either a lingering Hobby or a merlin.

[Gill Catton]

Could the falconer not have been excersizing another bird after the show? Or lost one? Merlins are small, that would probably be the second thought on seeing one after 'oh look there's a bird of prey' if it seemed suprisingly small (and usually very fast) then it may have been a merlin (they mainly small birds but I have seen one in a photo with a vole and it seems likely that they would take insects in the summer). Very very unlikely to be a truly wild hobby they're just not around at this time of year.
Plus to me the Hobby seems strikingly smart and black and white, the upper parts blue/ black rather than blue/ grey and with a definate dark red brown around the legs, are you sure it's not merlin you've seen before? I have seen them a couple of times hunting around lakes. The moustache though is a much stronger feature in a hobby than in a merlin where it's more of the suggestion of a moustache - alike a teenagers attempt at a moustache!!....

What about a juv peregrine? no yellow bits yet? Although a juv would be in mostly adult plumage by now (so the blue grey still works) the colour of the fleshy bits is often the last to mature

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Don't merlins appear when the hobbies go (and vice versa)? In that case, the question is, what do merlins eat in the winter? Small birds presumably?

Not quite. Merlins are resident in UK, but in summer restricted mainly to uplands, so in many parts of UK Merlins do appear, as Hobbies disappear to warmer climes. Many of our breeding
Merlins move to estuaries + open land at lower altitudes for the winter, joined by birds from Scandinavia + other parts of northern Europe.

Meadow Pipits are probably most frequent prey item, but finches, Skylarks, Starlings + other open countryside small birds are regularly taken.

[Dan Salter]

To be honest im so confused now i dont know what i saw but it WASNT a kestrel thats all i can safely say.

And i was on the outskirts of the castle estate heading home accross chalky hills...the bird came from my home direction toward the castle....And the falconer had locked up all birds and finisheds the show by the time i left...he only flew an owl and a kestrel as it was way too windy.

Oh well....ill just class it as un identified.
I have seen several hobbies.....Could one still be lingering due to climate change? lets face it.....i drove past a row of seven fully open dafs just now on way to college.,

Dan