Falco longipennis
This species, although not particularly a garden bird, readily flies and hunts over the suburbs and will have conspicuous favourite perching locations such as dead top branches of big trees or power poles. When perched they are approachable. Alarm calls from small birds often indicate the presence of a hobby nearby.
The hobby is the most commonly recorded raptor in the Garden Bird Survey. Numbers generally peak in February, then decline to a fairly even minimum from May to August. The decline in sightings is probably due to partial migration and to absence from the suburbs during breeding. In February when the young fledge and start to become independent many birds are observed.
Numbers declined significantly over the first four years of the survey, but have stabilised since. This is the only raptor with several breeding records, the seasonal distribution of which is remarkably regular. It consists of display in October, nesting in November to January and dependent young in February. R=46. BR=52.
