Australian Hobby!

At first glance I thought this was a juvenile Brown Falcon but thanks to Clive for pointing out that it is an Australian Hobby – very exciting and something I should have realised, I guess I just couldn’t believe my luck. It was watching me as I watched it at the Western Treatment Plant.

Australian Hobby
Canon 5DIII, 100-400mm L IS USM

This hobby has the remnants of its last meal on its bill. It was possibly a small mammal or reptile, but more likely a small bird that it caught in mid air. Hobbies are particularly partial to birds like starlings and swallows that they hunt on the wing. Hobbies also eat insects but bugs wouldn’t leave the bill smudged with blood.

Australian Hobbies are small falcons that measure between 30-35 cm; females are larger than males with similar markings. They have a pale blue eye-ring and a greyish cere along with a dark cap and facial mask, a whitish bib, rufous tail bars and feather edges.

My internet service has been an internot service all week and I am creating this week’s post on my laptop, which is a first. Hopefully all will be sorted out by next week as I have some images that I’m looking forward to sharing.

Happy birding, Kim

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