Hobby at Brockholes, Lancashire

July 24, 2010:
Occasionally, over the last few weeks, a Hobby has been seen near the Brockholes Wetland Reserve close to the River Ribble. Recently, on a daily basis, one bird has favoured an area at the southern end of the Reserve close to the M6 motorway where it watches for prey from perches high on the tall motorway lamp-posts.




From there it makes swift forays, especially for dragonflies, which it either dismembers and consumes on the wing or takes back to a perch on a lamp-post.



It is a juvenile showing rust-coloured undersides rather than the deeper red of the full adult and is thought to be a second-year bird. This area must be a good hunting ground for Hobbys as today it was joined by a second bird which hunted on the opposite side of the motorway. People interested in the Reserve’s dragonflies have noticed a sharp decline in numbers recently!