Dashing Hobbies on Crowle Moor

Here's a few choice pics of at least half a dozen Hobbies seen on a trip out to Thorne / Crowle Moors on the South Yorks / Lincs border. I went there with my good friend Rob specifically to see these dashing falcons because he'd never seen one. He was well pleased!

Bit of an overcast day with the occasional shower of rain, it wasn't the best day to capture these birds - they're so fast flying, so these pics aren't the sharpest but I enjoyed the challenge nonetheless.

Hobby, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Here's the pics then interspersed with other pics from the day - a few of the more unusual wild flowers on show amongst them and a cracking Gatekeeper butterfly of which there were many - mostly taken by Rob. 

 They were catching dragonflies for fun and I'm slightly disappointed I didn't get a decent action shot of that but no worries, its was good to see them thriving here and this is yet another bird of prey doing rather well in the UK. An increase in dragonfly numbers due to the creation of more gravel pits and climate change are 2 of the possible theories put forward for their expanding range. 

Hobby, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Common Centaury, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Hobby, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Yellow Wort, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Hobby, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Gatekeeper, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Hobby, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Hemp Agrimony, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Hobby, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Tansy flower, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Hobby, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

Hobby, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17

The moors of Thorne and Crowle along with Hatfield Moor and Goole Fields form the largest area of raised peat bog wilderness in the lowland Britain (nearly 3000 hectares of the stuff!) - collectively termed the Humberhead Peatlands (more info here), its an area of national and international significance and thankfully well protected by various agencies such as Natural England and both Yorks and Lincs Wildlife Trusts.  The whole area seems to get better every year and well worth a visit. Here's my last couple of Hobby pics and for the record also recorded on the day were Turtle Dove, Greenshank, Teal, Shoveler, Sedge Warblers++, and many migrating Swifts and Sand Martins

Hobby, Crowle Moor, 01/08/17