Final Hobby Outrage

This hot afternoon I went to the Savernake area to do what comes naturally to someone of Purple pursuasion this late in the season, whilst listening to an enthralling day's play in the Lords test match.  

A worn male was present in the Dead Beech Glade, the No 1 territory in Sav, but there was no one for him to play with - no birds or hornets were flying through, and it was very hot - so he was quiescent, wings closed.  I probably saw a second male, briefly and from a distance, at another territory about 200m away. 

Moving to another favoured area, a cathedral of towering beech trees, one worn male was reasonably active, suggesting there might have been another close by.  England were fighting back well, which is when the outrage occurred: a Hobby came patrolling by over the giant beeches, iris duly launched himself, albeit rather lazily, and was promptly nabbed.  

This is the second such outrage involving this thug of a bird this season, after an similar strike witnessed by Rob Hill at Bookham Common.  Clearly, Hobby numbers must be reduced, I'm joining Songbird Survival - I WANT TO SEE SOME PREDATOR CONTROL ...

This reminds me of an outrage that occurred at the end of the (very good) 2002 season at Alice Holt.  Just after Hoggard had bowled Tendulkar and then Ganguly first ball, on the afternoon of 28th July, a pair of Spotted Flycatchers ganged up on a stroppy male - he launched himself at one of them, but the other came up from below and took him.  2 wings spiralled slowly to the ground.  I am still outraged...