Product Description
Birds of Prey: 4 April 2019
Royal Mail issued a set of 10 stamps depicting birds of prey, five head close-ups and five in flight.Stamp: 1st class Hobby – Falco subbuteo
Card: J Arthur Dixon by John Hinde PBP 29314
Postmark: First day of issue, Edinburgh
Larger than the merlin, this little falcon migrates to the UK from Africa in the spring to breed. With its long, sickle-shaped wings, it resembles a giant swift and is incredibly nimble in flight. Feeding on dragonflies and other insects, the hobby is often seen near large bodies of water. It nests using abandoned crows’ nests, and during the breeding season it hunts for swallows and swifts to feed its young. Once the young are able to fly and can hunt for themselves, hobbies migrate with the swallows back to Africa.
