It was late afternoon. The hot wind was breathing a fiery
heat from the desert to the east, blowing the deep aroma of the water treatment
area as an added bonus. The sun was at my back and I had front seats to an
awesome display of deception by an Australian Hobby. I have been very lucky
this year with my experiences with this bird species. You can find some other
photos and stories here.
The first indication the Hobby was around was the panic it
engendered in a large flock of Galahs, mixed with some Little Corellas, as well
as some waders including a group of 11 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Initially I
thought the Hobby was coming for a drink as it didn’t seem to take much notice
of any of the birds. It flew slowly compared to the speeds I have seen in the
past, and then land on the shoreline, just looking around, almost aimlessly.
Eventually it flew off, causing another flurry of panicked fluttering by the
other birds. I watched as it flew off to a nearby low hill and disappeared. The
sandpipers returned in small groups, first 4 then another pair, and then the
final 5.
Ten minutes later, the same scenario occurred. Loud
squawking by the Galahs and Corellas and scrambled fleeing by the waders.
Again, the Hobby seemed fairly disinterested. Again the sandpipers returned,
although there were only 7 in the group I could see. I wondered if the other 4
had decided they might find a different camp for the night.
For the third time, this time about 20 minutes later, the
Hobby flew in and settled eventually on a fence post rimming the south of the
ponds. It looked as though it had a bit more intent this time. The light was fading
as the sun had finally dipped below the western horizon. I could still see the
Hobby quite easily, but the waders on the ponds were harder in the greying
evening light. As I alighted from my perch atop the car, I noticed movement to
my right – the Hobby had taken off. This time the Sandpipers voiced their
high-pitched terror although they
remained as a large group. I watched as they rose above the ground level,
fleeing to the north-west, while the Hobby headed to the north-east. As the
sandpipers wheeled towards the north, the Hobby wheeled into the same flight
path and smashed into the small flock, taking one of the sandpipers with its
talons and flying directly over my head, not very far above. I think my
presence had been forgotten as it immediately dropped the sandpiper, all of 10
feet in front of the car. I’d already put my camera back in the car as the
light had become too low for any decent photos, so for once I was just
bird-watching, not taking photos. The poor sandpiper was helpless, trying
desperately to get to its feet but it was too badly injured from the initial
onslaught. It flopped towards me twice before the blue-grey shape sped down to
claim its prize. It didn’t stop and say hi, or pose for an imaginary photo, it just
snatched the prey in its talons and took off. I was left dumbstruck by what had
just happened, and in the car on the way back to my accommodation, wondered
whether or not I could have saved the sandpiper if I had been more alert to
what was happening, rather than being frozen in awe of this raptor. I decided
eventually that I had to let nature take its course without interference from
me even if I didn’t enjoy seeing a living creature get taken.
Here are some photos:
Australian Hobby
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