Population of the Hobby in Northumberland

Population data for Hobby Falco subbuteo are given for years up to 2002 in the various Birds in Northumbria Annual Reports. Hobby data provides an interesting further example of a raptor colonising an area of northern Britain not previously thought suitable for the species. Hobby colonisation started in 1996, three years later than the Honey-buzzard. All the data in Table 1 refers to the study area in south west Northumberland. Overall the Hobby has made less progress in its colonisation than the Honey-buzzard suggesting that conditions on the Scottish-English border are less ideal than for the Honey-buzzard. Nevertheless the Hobby is maintaining its status on the edge of its range as an uncommon breeder with a preference for nesting on the moorland fringe, with stable numbers and productivity since 2001 with 10-15 territories each year and 4-9 broods in 13 of the 17 years. Overall in the study area the Hobby shows amazing constancy at a fairly low density. The Hobby is a difficult species to survey because of its secrecy and as it is not the number one target species, the numbers below are thought to be underestimates. Indeed the strain put on survey resources by the rapidly increasing Honey-buzzard population has reduced opportunities for detecting the secretive Hobby. Coverage was reduced in 2018; the wide range of locations occupied and the success noted suggest that the status of the species was maintained at that from 2001-2017. In 2019 though only three birds were recorded in the study area: a single in lower South Tyne and 2 singles in Derwent. This was the worst result in the duration of the study from 1996. Poor coverage in the core areas for this species of Derwent and upper South Tyne in 2019 will have adversely affected the result. Number of territories occupied bounced back in 2021 to 9, though only 2 broods were found, maybe because of survey difficulties. 2022 was another disappointing year with only apparently 3 sites occupied and no broods found or reported. In 2023 the species is showing some resilience at lower population levels than previously with at least 6 sites occupied, five of them late in the season. In the very wet summer of 2024 there were promising signs in spring but it appears that only one pair successfully bred. The Hobby remains a scarce breeder in the study area with very low productivity in recent years (2 juveniles fledged in last 3 seasons). Most records in the County are now on or near the coast where it may well be breeding.

Status of Hobby in Northumberland

It is regrettable that so much politics surrounds the colonisation of the Hobby in Northumberland. The Hobby was regarded as a well-established recent colonist in Northumberland in 2003. See bulletins for reports by 22 observers in the monthly bulletins of the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club. Hobbies were also found in two field trips led by Nick Rossiter in south west Northumberland in 2001 and 2002. The report on the latter, published in the bulletin for September 2002, is available here. Then along came the Honey-buzzard debacle, after which it was very difficult for the NCRC (Northumberland County Records Committee) to accept my expertise in Hobby, while denying it in Honey-buzzard. So Hobby was made a category A species (full description required), upgraded from category B (brief notes) when all indications were that it was rapidly increasing in NE England and E Scotland. Hobby are unmistakable when in flight on their jizz but seeing much in the way of plumage is often quite difficult. So we now have the situation where most observers do not bother to submit descriptions as acceptance is questionable on often brief views or on jizz alone. In Birds in Northumbria 2011 we find the NCRC reports (p. 228): “A further 95 records were not submitted for adjudication by the CRC. This is a significant increase on 2010. Of these, 24 relate to Hobby sightings where no details have been submitted to the CRC to corroborate the sighting”. Under the Hobby account (p. 78) we find: “There were again many reported sightings during the year, only six of which have been documented”. From a scientific point of view it is a triumph of precision over accuracy: we have a few very nice (precise) descriptions but the reported totals are highly inaccurate when compared to the real number of birds frequenting the county. After a slow increase in preceding years, it did appear by 2014, through records on BirdTrack, that eastern Scotland has been invaded in numbers; this should lead to wider acceptance of the healthy state of the colonisation of SW Northumberland.

The results below are for SW Northumberland. In 2003 one pair was found breeding in casual visits to north Northumberland (one locality, 2 adults, 2 juveniles).

Details for each Year

Table 1: Numbers of Hobby found from 1996-2024 in SW Northumberland

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2007 are available in Table 2.

Table 2: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2007

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2008 are available in Table 3.

Table 3: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2008

Perhaps because of the poor weather in August and early September it was a poor year overall for breeding success with only 6 young known to fledge (1x2, 5x1+). However, the number fledged is undoubtedly an underestimate as the Hobby sites are covered less systematically than Honey-buzzard sites. Further the number of sites occupied was a record at 15, suggesting that the species is consolidating its colonisation of the area. Overall the preference of the Hobby for moorland fringes remains very marked with 11 of the 15 sites being situated very close to heather moors. In lowland areas only four sites were occupied but there does appear to be a small viable population emerging in the eastern Tyne Valley.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2009 are available in Table 4.

Table 4: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2009

The Hobby is such a difficult species to survey, capable of keeping a very low profile and apparently being quite mobile from year to year in site selection. This year equalled the previous year's record in number of sites at 15 but the species has advanced very little since the 12 sites in 2001. The number fledged is undoubtedly an underestimate as the Hobby sites are covered less systematically than Honey-buzzard sites. However, with so much time in the field this September, it was expected that more juveniles would be seen and it is possible that the northern edge of the species' range is acting as a sink rather than as a spur to further colonisation to the north. Mobility is shown by 6 of the sites occupied in 2008 not apparently being used in 2009 and 5 of the 6 'new' sites this year not being used in either 2007 or 2008. The preference of the Hobby for moorland fringes was less marked this year with 7 of the 15 sites situated very close to heather moors.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2010 are available in Table 5.

Table 5: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2010

The Hobby is such a difficult species to survey, capable of keeping a very low profile and apparently being quite mobile from year to year in site selection. This year the number of sites was down slightly but productivity appeared to rise with at least 8 juveniles fledged and breeding confirmed at 7 sites, including 2 where food was seen being carried in by adults. The number fledged is undoubtedly an underestimate as the Hobby sites are covered less systematically than Honey-buzzard sites. Mobility is shown with only 7 sites being apparently used in both 2009 and 2010. The preference of the Hobby for moorland fringes was again more marked this year with 9 of the 13 sites situated very close to heather moors. The stronghold remains the upper South Tyne where 5 sites occupied and at least 4 young fledged. Tyne Valley W was the next best area with 3 sites occupied and breeding confirmed at one. I'll give a back-handed compliment to game interests here: the Peregrine is on the black list and few are seen but at least the Hobby are recognised as such and indeed flourish on the edge of their range in ideal habitat. Many birdwatchers really struggle with separating Hobby and Peregrine, because they are fixated on plumage. There would have been more sightings in spring I think if I had not been absent so much in Devon with ailing mother.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2011 are available in Table 6.

Table 6: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2011

This year the number of sites was down slightly but a widespread presence across the area was noticed with birds in all valleys except the lower South Tyne. Poor weather in the first half of September reduced the effort on the edges of the moors, which are popular with the species. Very strong winds and blustery rain reduced both observer effort at altitude and the visibility of the family groups, which is the main way that breeding is confirmed. 7 of the 11 sites occupied are adjacent to heather moorland. Maybe though the birds are tougher than the observer with a family party of 4 Hobby up at Studdon Park in 60kph SW winds on 13 September, seemingly unaffected by the conditions. Hobby now seem well established in the Allen as well as in the initial stronghold of the upper South Tyne. They remain scarce in lowland areas with a total of 2 territories in the main Tyne Valley, E of Hexham.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2012 are available in Table 7.

Table 7: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2012

At 11 sites (same as in 2011), as many as 18 adults were seen, with 10 of the sites being at least at the probable level and just one at the possible. Evidence for fledging was not so good with 3 juveniles noted at 3 sites. Considering how bad the weather was in the summer, this was not a bad result, suggesting that the Hobby will be able to maintain a presence in northern Britain. Although only 3 broods were recorded, this is likely to have been an underestimate as birds were still on-site at 3 of the sites in the probable category in August. As in 2011 there was a widespread presence across the area, ranging from upland areas such as the East Allen near Allenheads to lowland areas in the east such as Wylam. 7 of the 11 sites occupied are adjacent to heather moorland; the remaining 4 were in the main Tyne Valley, E of Hexham.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2013 are available in Table 8.

Table 8: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2013

A similar year to recent ones with 16 adults seen at 14 sites; finding broods remains challenging with breeding confirmed at just 4 sites. All the broods found were on the moorland edge with 3 in the upper South Tyne and one in the Allen. A gathering of 3 juveniles at Parson Shields on 14/9 produced spectacular display; it is possible that this brood was from more than one site. Evidence for fledging is not easy to produce as the period in which the full family groups are visible is thought to be quite short from mid-August to early September. If this were the top priority species in the study area, a focus could be put on this period at the known Hobby sites but the Honey-buzzard sites for early fledging take preference. There was a widespread presence across the area, ranging from upland areas such as the East Allen near Allenheads to lowland areas in the east such as Wylam. However, 9 of the 14 sites occupied are adjacent to heather moorland; the remaining 5 were in the main Tyne Valley, around Hexham, including the gravel-pit site at Farnley; in Tyne Valley E around Wylam; in lower South Tyne around Warden. Sand Martin might be a significant prey along the Tyne Valley. On the moorland edges, Meadow Pipit may well be targeted as the commonest passerine.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2014 are available in Table 9.

Table 9: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2014

The total number of sites occupied at 12 is similar to the previous 13 years when it's varied from 10 to 15; the total number of broods at 8 is beaten by only one other year, 2003 with 9; the number of young raised at 13 is beaten by only one other year, 2002 with 15. In reality, think coverage of the Hobby has suffered as Honey-buzzard numbers have soared, as was able to spend more time tracking down Hobbies 10-15 years ago. Whatever, it's a good result and in a year, when eastern Scotland has been invaded in numbers (BirdTrack), should gain wider acceptance. The high proportion of confirmed sites (2/3) suggests that it was a successful season with ample food supplies. The surprisingly low numbers in the upper South Tyne, down from 4 sites occupied to 1, is hopefully a sign of lower coverage rather than a real downward trend. In addition no birds were seen in the Beldon Burn this year so there is an apparent trend towards lowland areas, hopefully not reflecting any persecution on the grouse moors. This year 7 of the 12 sites occupied are adjacent to heather moorland; the remaining 5 were in or near the main Tyne Valley.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2015 are available in Table 10.

Table 10: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2015

At the end of the season, without having done the calculations on the records, was expecting this to be a poor year for the species. It was certainly one in which sightings were often brief but the totals were not that far from normal with the 13 sites being in the middle of the long-term run from 2001 of 10-15 sites and the number of broods at the lower end of the typical range of 4-9 in the same period. Two of the 18 sightings were of this species mobbing Honey-buzzard, something they're quite keen on doing. The Hobby continues to make inroads into E Scotland with a pair of Hobby breeding in Perth & Kinross where personally had birds (juvenile male, adult female) at 2 sites in my visit in September; records of this species numbered 10 in July, 10 in August and 3 in September [Scottish Birds 35(4) December 2015 p.375]. Everywhere though on the edge of its range it seems to be difficult to pin down, readily moving sites by a few km each year and being difficult to observe as with many raptors when on eggs or with small young. After last year's apparent dip, numbers recovered in the upper South Tyne to 3 sites occupied, but Towsbank one of the showcase sites was not apparently used. The same number of pairs were at Derwent and 2 pairs were at each of Allen, Tyne W and Tyne E. This year 8 of the 13 sites occupied were adjacent to heather moorland; the remaining 5 were in or near the main Tyne Valley including the one in the Devil's Water. Overall in the study area the Hobby shows amazing constancy at a fairly low density.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2016 are available in Table 11.

Table 11: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2016

This was a typical season on the number of sites with the 11 noted being within the long-term run from 2001 of 10-15 sites. The number of broods at 8 was at the higher end of the typical range of 4-9 in the same period, indicating a successful season. Derwent had the highest number of broods at 3 and although upper South Tyne only had 1 brood, the fledged family party here of 4 (2 adult, 2 juvenile) at Towsbank produced the best aerial spectacle of the year on 26th August. This year 6 of the 11 sites occupied were adjacent to heather moorland; the remaining 5 were in or near the main Tyne Valley including 2 in the Devil's Water at the possible level. Overall another year of amazing constancy.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2017 are available in Table 12.

Table 12: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2017

This was a typical season on the number of sites with the 15 noted being within the long-term run from 2001 of 10-15 sites. The number of broods at 5 was towards the lower end of the typical range of 4-9 in the same period, but the number of sites at the probable level of 7 suggests that a number of broods were overlooked at the critical time when fledging takes place. The upper South Tyne had the highest number of broods at 2 and the fledged family party here of 5 (2 adult, 3 juvenile) at Towsbank again produced the best aerial spectacle of the year on 20th August. This year 9 of the 15 sites occupied were adjacent to heather moorland; the remaining 6 were in or near the main Tyne Valley. Overall another year of amazing constancy.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2018 are available in Table 13.

Table 13: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2018

Coverage was reduced for the Honey-buzzard season, and hence for the Hobby, as described for the results for the 2018 season under that species. The numbers found this year were about 50% of those for 2017, roughly matching the decline in coverage. The wide range of locations occupied and the success noted suggest that the status of the species was maintained at that from 2001-2017. This is a difficult species to survey as the display period is relatively brief and the fledging of the young is late in the season. Records are rare in mid-summer with monthly distribution this year for the 9 sightings of May 3, June 0, July 1, Aug 1, Sep 4. The upper South Tyne remains a relative stronghold with 4 birds (2 adult, 2 juvenile) noted at Towsbank from July to September. Fledged young were also seen in the upper South Tyne at Williamston and in the Tyne Valley East at Wylam. This year 3 of the 7 sites occupied were adjacent to heather moorland; the remaining 4 were widely scattered.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2019 are available in Table 14

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Table 14: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2019

Coverage was reduced for the Honey-buzzard, and hence for the Hobby, in the upper South Tyne and Derwent areas, which have been strongholds for the Hobby in woods adjacent to the heather moors. In my own studies only 1 site was found occupied, at Warden in upper South Tyne, with a female on 21 May. As with the Red Kite, additional records were taken from the Bulletin of the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club (March-October 2019 searched) with 2 records noted: on 8 July an adult took and carried away an adult Swallow Hirundo rustica at Derwent Reservoir; on 17 August an adult was at Baybridge, Blanchland. The core area of Devil's Water/Tyne Valley W was covered well this year but that typically only holds 1-2 pairs. Significant effort is required in 2020 to check that the Hobby is still breeding in the study area and also need to look at the broader picture regionally and nationally.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2020 are available in Table 15

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Table 15: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2020

Coverage was reduced for the Honey-buzzard, and hence for the Hobby, in the upper South Tyne, Allen and Derwent areas, which have been strongholds for the Hobby in woods adjacent to the heather moors. In my own studies 4 sites were found occupied, including Bywell and March Burn in Tyne Valley West, and Prudhoe E and Ryton Willows in Tyne Valley E. As with the Red Kite and Goshawk, additional records were taken from the Bulletin of the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club (March-October 2020 searched) with 2 records noted: an adult bird flew over the observer's head at Causey Hill Caravan Park (Hexham) on 20 July; a probable female was at March Burn on 7 August. The area Devil's Water/Tyne Valley W/Tyne Valley E was covered well this year with concentration on the eastern part of the study area for the national Honey-buzzard survey in 2020. Significant effort is required in 2021 to check that the Hobby is still breeding in the western part of the study area and this should be facilitated by the move in fieldwork to this area for the national Honey-buzzard survey next year.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2021 are available in Table 16

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Table 16: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2021

Coverage was expanded in the west this year with the focus of the Honey-buzzard survey moving this way in 2021 from the east of the study area last year. Two sites were found occupied in each of Allen and upper South Tyne, giving a major boost to the reported totals. Top area remains Tyne Valley W with 3 sites found occupied with the remaining 2 sites of the total of 9 occupied found in Tyne Valley E. Derwent was poorly covered this year so the negative outcome for Hobby is not unexpected. Devil's Water though was very well covered but also had a negative outcome. Broods were scarce. A pair in the Towsbank/Eals Bridge area raised at least one young and food was seen being carried into a nest at Prospect Hill, near Corbridge, on 22/8. NR was absent for 2 weeks in September in a visit to Gibraltar/Tarifa, which will have meant some broods were probably missed. A pair were almost certainly successful at Bywell Cottagebank, being seen on 5 occasions from 18/5 to 10/8. Further breeding sites with outcome unknown were Staward N, Staward S, Haltwhistle North Wood, Riding Mill (March Burn), Prudhoe Dukeshagg, Wylam. As with the Red Kite and Goshawk, additional records were taken from the Bulletin of the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club (April-October 2021 searched): these provided further records for the Corbridge and Towsbank sites but did not introduce any new sites. A search of BirdGuides provided a further sighting for the Corbridge site but no further additional information. So after the slump in 2019 to just 3 sites occupied in the whole study area, it is reasonable to feel a little happier about the continued presence of the Hobby in the study area as a breeding species but it remains a scarce species. Most records in the County are now on or near the coast where it may well be breeding.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2022 are available in Table 17

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Table 17: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2022

My coverage was very low in the west of the study area, favoured by this species, and this season was largely concentrated on Devil’s Water and Tyne Valley W. Just one observation was made in this area in the whole breeding season: a female displaying at Bywell on 10/6. A search made in the Bulletin of the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club (April-September 2022) added 2 sites in the west with in July “a confidential site in the SW provided regular sightings of territorial behaviour with two driving off a Buzzard on 13th and one seen mobbing a Red Kite on 9th. On 15th individuals were noted three times in a two-hour period during which both Buzzard and Raven were mobbed (SJH)” and in August “an individual was at Ridley Common on 23rd (AJN)”. The first site appears from other context to be the County’s best established site at Towsbank in Upper South Tyne and the second is adjacent to the Staward Valley in the Allen. The decline appears to be real, despite lower coverage, as 3 sites (1 this year) had been occupied in Tyne Valley W the previous year. The long-term trend is also clearly down with 10+ sites occupied annually from 2001-2017 and 3-9 sites from 2018-2022, albeit with less coverage in latter period. A search of BirdGuides provided a significant number of records from coastal areas throughout the season but none in the study area.

The RBBP report for 2018 https://rbbp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/rbbp-report-2018.pdf is interesting: “289–765 pairs. Clements et al. (2016) suggested that the UK Hobby population may be as high as 3,000 pairs, with the difficulty of detecting breeding sites meaning that it is widely underrecorded. There are, however, signs of a decline in the population over the last few years, both in RBBP totals and in the BTO/JNCC/RSPB UK Breeding Bird Survey, which reported a statistically significant decrease of 24% between 2008 and 2018 (Harris et al. 2020). Every county in northern England and Scotland reported small increases from the 2017 figures, however, suggesting that the northward expansion of the species’ range is continuing.” In 2019 https://rbbp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/rbbp-report-2019.pdf the position was complicated with the comment: “267–678 pairs. Estimates provided by county bird recorders suggest that the UK population is around double the number of records submitted, although there is evidence to suggest it could be higher still (Clements et al. 2016).” The map of Hobby records in BirdGuides for 2022 mainly shows records from northern Britain and shows that the species wanders extensively with a concentration in NE England; most records in southern Britain are not included as BirdGuides is concerned with local or national rarities.

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2023 are available in Table 18

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