The Hobby is now a well established if scarce breeding bird in
Shropshire and seen regularly throughout the county, even in the more exposed
upland areas such as the Long Mynd.
However it is one of the more interesting species to look for in the lowland
arable areas of the county and the SOS would like to get better estimates of the
number of breeding pairs in Shropshire.
The population may be roughly stable following definite growth in numbers in the
eighties and nineties but the infrequent observations and large territories make
it a difficult species to estimate with any sort of accuracy.
If
you are interested in raptors and are prepared to put in effort in surveying one
or more 10 km squares in the county between May and September, then please get
in touch with:-
Gerry Thomas
Tel. 01630-652662
Mobile 07790-492355
Email:
gerry.thomas@hp.com
Coverage of the Central and North-western parts of the county, i.e. Shrewsbury & Telford districts, Ellesmere & Oswestry areas are particularly welcome.
A Hobby, photo by Jim Almond
