Did you know that the stunning Hobbies featured on Wild Isles were filmed at Ham Wall and you can see their incredible aerial antics for yourself? May is a fantastic month to visit Ham Wall to catch this spectacle for yourself as up to 60 Hobbies have been counted soaring through the skies in previous years.
Hobby are medium sized falcons who are delicate and elegant aerial performers. Adults have dark grey backs, rusty-red ‘trousers’, streaky chest and black lines either side of their beak which gives the appearance of a moustache. They also have long pointed wings, which can give them the appearance of a giant swift in flight, that they use to hunt in mid-air catching dragonflies, swallows, and other birds which it sometimes eats on the wing.
Hobby catching an insect in mid-air
Hobbies can be seen hunting all over the reserve so anywhere with a wide view of the sky can be a good spot to look for them. The Avalon Hide is often a favourite spot to look for them. They are also often seen hunting above Waltons from the Tor View Hide and are frequently seen soaring above the car park.
Hobby are a spring and summer visitor to the UK arriving in late April/ early May before departing again in September to spend the winter in Africa. So, if you can’t visit Ham Wall this month you still have a couple of months to catch their antics before they depart for warmer climes.
Accessibility:
Hobbies can be seen from the hand standing car park or the main hard standing track running through the centre of the reserve. There is a hard standing boardwalk to reach the Tor View Hide. After crossing the canal there is an undulating grass path which can be muddy to reach the Avalon Hide.
View our full accessibility guide at: https://www.accessibilityguides.org/content/rspb-ham-wall-0
How to get to Ham Wall:
The reserve post code is: BA6 9SX. The What3Words location is: biggest.sharpened.clots.
For further information on traveling to Ham Wall see the ‘How to get here’ section on our website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/ham-wall/
What else can I see at Ham Wall?
The sound of bird song fills the air and birds can be seen darting around collecting food to feed their young during spring at Ham Wall. The reserve is full of booming Bitterns, food passing Marsh Harriers and fishing Great White Egrets. Swifts, Swallows, Sand Martins and Hobbies glide above the reedbeds while Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Bearded Tits can be heard signing from within. While strolling the secluded paths listen for the evocative call of the cuckoo echoing across the reserve.
's John Crispin