Merlin/Hobby ID tips? (1 Viewer)

[pianoman]

Hi -

Saw a very small Falcon briefly over my garden in Greystones, just south of Dublin, chasing insects among swifts. Garden adjoins an area of coastal scrubland. Has to be either Hobby or Merlin, either would be a major garden tick for me, but have to admit Merlin is statistically much more likely in my area.

But it was flying higher and much more swift-like than any Merlin I have seen, also seemed too small for a F Merlin and too dark for a male.

Impression was dark upperparts (same general tone as swifts from a distance), about 20% bigger than swift, contrasting light underparts. Very pointed swift-like wings, quite short tail for a falcon. Even thought Alpine Swift for a second but no it was a falcon for sure.

Sorry, no picture; it was a view of only a few seconds. With my photography skills am unlikely to get anything useful een if I see it again

Just wondering if anyone has a tip for a clinching feature I can look for if it visits again?

Thanks in advance

Andrew

 

[Sangahyando]

I don't think even a male Hobby would be smaller than a female Merlin though (after all, the Hobby is the same size as a Common Kestrel). In any case, size can be difficult to assess.
As for tail length, a Hobby's tail is certainly shorter than a Kestrel's, but not that much.

 

[pianoman]

I don't think even a male Hobby would be smaller than a female Merlin though (after all, the Hobby is the same size as a Common Kestrel). In any case, size can be difficult to assess.
As for tail length, a Hobby's tail is certainly shorter than a Kestrel's, but not that much.

Thanks Sangahyando, that is certainly going to keep me honest; I will have to assume Merlin unless I can get definite confirmation.

regards,

Andrew

 

[Sangahyando]

That said, I don't know how often Merlins hunt insects (I usuall only see them during winter). Whereas Hobby are passionate hunters of large insects.

 

[pianoman]

That said, I don't know how often Merlins hunt insects (I usuall only see them during winter). Whereas Hobby are passionate hunters or large insects.

Yes, it was the behaviour that mainly made me consider Hobby. Not used to seeing Merlin that high up - and so close to the coast in early summer. But if it is possible for Merlin to behave like this then it is the more likely candidate.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

if Alpine Swift crossed your mind I would strongly suspect Hobby over Merlin, though the view would have to be pretty distant to not pick up head pattern on Hobby.

 

[King Edward]

I will have to assume Merlin unless I can get definite confirmation.

Surely in that case you'd need to assume unidentified, not Merlin, which seems unlikely given the behaviour. It sounds good for a Hobby, although if you aren't sure then leave it as possible/probable. When I've seen Hobbies feeding on insects they tend to look fairly relaxed, gliding mainly rather than actively 'chasing', which adds to the Swift-like impression.

Looking at irishbirding.com, there was a Hobby at Bray yesterday - I don't know how frequent these are in Ireland now.

 

[pianoman]

Thanks Edward! I was looking for nearby sightings in Irishbirding.com yesterday and didn't find one. I am at the south end of Bray Head, so this strengthens the case for Hobby - though it will remain tantalising until I see it again. Hobby records are few enough (once every 2 or 3 years for Bray area) for this to be significant.

 

[Birdgirl42]

It was probably a Hobby , due to the fact that it was swift like and chasing insects. Next time you see it , the best way to indentify it is to look at the wing shape - The Hobby has long , slim wings that make you think it's a swift but a Merlin has shorter ,chunkier wings. Merlins tend to fly lower over the ground , and Hobbys high up. Plumage wise , the Hobby reminds me of a miniture Peregrine with a grey and somtimes blueish back , with the most prominant feature being the rusty red 'trousers'. A Merlin has a blue-grey colours (male) and brown colours for a female , but it lacks the red 'trousers' so thats the a good way of serperating them. The Hobby's call is much faster and higher pitched than than the Merlin's and at first they are hard to seperate but if you listen to recordings on the RSPB website it will soon become clear

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

Behaviour would rule out Merlin for me immediately. Of course thinking wider Red-footed Falcon is another unlikely but possible contender. I know they are rare but stranger things have happened and they average slightly smaller than Hobby and overlap with Merlin and can appear fairly short-tailed and definitely feed in a similar manner.

Cheers

Roy

 

[pianoman]

Thanks for the tips guys. It just looked so small, and I couldn't see any warm tones. Thought that maybe a insect bonanza might make another falcon behave out of character. But I could have misjudged the size and the jizz was so swift like. I see more hobby records on the east coast of ireland in recent days so I'm ready to put it down as a probable

 

[Jack Dawe]

I will have to assume Merlin unless I can get definite confirmation

Don't assume. If you can't identify it, you can't identify it. |=)|

 

[pianoman]

Don't assume. If you can't identify it, you can't identify it. |=)|

I don't have a list (it would be deeply unimpressive even if I did) so all I will say is: small falcon, not a Kestrel (am sure enough about that) behaving like a Hobby over my garden. I'm happy anyway

 

[pianoman]

It was probably a Hobby , due to the fact that it was swift like and chasing insects....

Thanks Birdgirl, and welcome...sorry I missed that post first time around