19 May 2021: Subbuteo

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 My new specialist talent appears to be spotting Hobbies sitting in trees in our local area! This bird was a welcome new tick on the survey patch we are monitoring each week, and stayed in the same place for over an hour while we were present. It allowed us to get pretty close and Tim was able to get these great shots, highlighting the ‘red trousers’ and beautiful facial markings.


Hobby

The Latin name for this fabulous bird is of course Falco subbuteo, and the root of the infamous football game, which was named after the bird by its creator Peter Adolph. They are beautiful birds which actually seem to be increasing in number. We are certainly seeing them more frequently in the last couple of years and they are always a thrill to spot.

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