My first Hobby

My last posting was largely about the flowers I saw at College Lake a couple of weeks ago. The weekend after that, I went to College Lake again, but this time, I was in search of some birdlife. This time of year is certainly a busy time at the lake and it was tricky to focus on any particular bird. However, there was one bird that stood out that little bit more. This bird is a new first for me and was definitely the highlight of the visit- a Hobby!

Yep, amongst the usual birds at college lake, a Hobby was seen whizzing over the surface of the water. It was sometimes hard to pick out the bird at a distance, especially with hundreds of swifts flying in the foreground. I was amazed at the speed of the Hobby as it flew effortlessly around. Such a striking bird too, with its streaked black underside and red-brown leg feathers. It hardly stopped to rest either and was constantly speeding around.

I was unable to get any photos of it, mostly because it was too far away, but also because it was almost impossible to follow. There were plenty of nesting Canada Geese around, as well as a few waders such as Redshank. I saw some goslings too, many of which were still sticking very close to their parents, maybe because of the Hobby. How vulnerable they looked. They were tiny compared with their parents.

As we walked around into the woodland section of the reserve in the sunhine, I saw a plenty of butterflies around, especially in the quieter areas. I managed to get a few shots of a Speckled Wood Butterfly which sat on the ground as if it was sunbathing. I have to say that they are not particularly colourful compared with some of the other butterflies I saw that day, but nice to capture nevertheless.

In the tops of the trees, Chiffchaffs were heard as we walked through the dense woodland. On my last visit, I saw a Willow Warbler, so it seems that the reserve is packed full of migrating warblers at the moment. I also heard plenty of Green Woodpeckers and Pheasants. Through much difficulty, we worked out that the terns which were flying around the lake were Common Terns and not Arctic Terns, which aren’t seen inland.

So, all in all, a great trip to College Lake, and another few birds to add to my year list. Hopefully I can get some more photos next time though.