In recent days, birders and passers-by, who have noticed the birders and asked what they’re looking at, have been treated to the incredible aerial displays of two juvenile Hobbies, expertly catching dragonflies along the River Ely in Cardiff.

I’ve seen Hobbies before but never as close as these birds so watching them has been truly amazing. With their scythe-like wings, they resemble Swifts in flight, though they’re a little larger, more the size of a Kestrel. And they are super speedy; I found it difficult to capture photographs of them in flight. In the end, I put the camera down and just watched, spellbound, as they wove their aerial magic.

The Hobby (Falco subbuteo) used to be quite scarce in the UK but their population has increased in recent years. The fact that these two are juvenile birds means we can probably assume they have bred nearby, possibly in the woodland adjacent to where they have been flying. Fortunately, it is privately owned land, with no footpaths, so wildlife is left in peace amongst the trees, a rare situation these days.

Hobbies are long-distance migrants that arrive here around April and depart again around September-October, heading to Africa to over-winter in warmer climes. Fortunately for them (though not for the dragonflies), these two young birds were finding plenty of prey to fuel the long flight to come.