Somerset Ornithological Society - Bird News
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Almost a Swift exit!

21-July-2013
Kay and I were sat, enjoying a cool drink, in our garden in Street watching the regular evening gathering of Swifts and their ‘screaming’ low flights around and over our house – where a pair has a nest under the eaves – when, quite literally from-out-of-the-blue, a Hobby zoomed through scattering them in all directions. The falcon missed and threw up just 20 feet or so above us before slowly gathering height in a series of wide circling glides, then stooped once again in another unsuccessful attempt before slowly drifted off out-of-sight to the south-east. Absolutely breath taking to watch from such close range and only our second garden record in 22 years of occupancy.

Re: Almost a Swift exit!

I heard the familiar chatter of Swallows and House Martins over my garden yesterday when a Sparrowhawk arrived and was surprised to see the local Swifts joining the hirundines in mobbing the Spar.

Re: Almost a Swift exit!

A couple of weeks back we were getting daily garden visits from a female sparrowhawk, and it was the local hirundines that alerted us to her. Also we had a couple of fly overs from a single hobby being hassled by swifts, and on one occasion 2 flew over.
Just waiting for a repeat of a few years back when hobby chased a dragonfly around my shed