Falcons by Richard Sale

Author:Richard Sale
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2016-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

FIG 188. Typical Hobby habitat for the hunting of chafers and dragonflies. The photograph was taken at Shapwick Heath, Somerset.

The Hobby’s enthusiasm for hunting Barn Swallows, House Martins and Swifts means that farmhouses, villages and other urban settings may also form part of its territory. In general the falcons avoid being too close to human habitation, preferring to fly further in order to avoid the disturbance that often results from human presence. In their ten-year study in Derbyshire, Messenger & Roome (2007) found only five nests (4.7% of the total) within 200 m of a farmhouse; four of these were successful. As with other species, the falcons were seemingly less perturbed by vehicles and the noise they produce. Though most nests were at a distance from roads, some were close to busy roads, two being within 100 m of a slip road for a dual carriageway; both were successful. However, by 2012, with the Derbyshire population of Hobbies having increased significantly (see Chapter 8), Messenger (personal communication) noted one nest only 240 m from a housing estate within the Derby city boundary and several hundred metres from a busy shopping mall.

The Hobby’s habitat also requires a supply of corvid nests (chiefly Carrion Crows). The requirement for corvid nests and a prey which may be urban-based has allowed Hobbies to colonise towns, or rather suburbs. While this is not common, it has been seen over many years in Europe, such as in cemeteries and large gardens in Berlin (Fiuczynski & Sömmer 2011) and in several cities/towns in the Netherlands, including The Hague (Izaaks 2007) and Utrecht (Nus 2003). Though instances are not yet reported in Britain, several observers have noted Hobbies hunting close to towns. In mainland Europe Hobbies are now frequently using corvid nests on electricity transmission towers (more familiarly known as ‘pylons’, a name which will therefore be used in what follows), presumably without realising the impressive security such sites offer. Pylon nests have been noted in Britain, but usage is not yet as frequent as is seen, for instance, in Germany.

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