EARLIER this year I wrote an article remarking on the abundance of swifts, swallows and house martins. I wrote this after I had witnessed some fantastic flying displays by these birds as they hunted for insects over the heaths.

Such a feast rarely goes unnoticed in the natural world and predators soon adapt to make the most of any bounty.

This was certainly the case in Habberley Valley this year.

One animal which has made the most of the abundance of insects in the Habberley Valley area is the hobby.

Hobbies are relatively small birds of prey, about the size of a kestrel. They hunt for their prey, in the majority of cases, through aerial pursuit rather than the characteristic hovering and pouncing approach of kestrels.

When feeding, the hobby flies rapidly and purposely through the sky before entering into a fast dive to pounce on its prey, which is often a swift, swallow or martin.

Hobbies also like to take larger insects such as dragonflies and they will even hunt for bats at dusk or under moonlight.

Such was the abundance of food in Habberley this year that a pair of hobbies decided to build a nest and raise their young there.

This was fantastic news as, unfortunately, hobbies have become one of Britain's rarer birds.

Gamekeepers and egg collectors, who much valued their eggs, have killed many hobbies in the past.

The pair of hobbies at Habberley Valley managed to hatch two chicks back in July.

As these birds were especially vulnerable, the decision was taken to keep the location of the nest a secret.

Over the next five weeks or so, discrete observations of the nest were made by a couple of highly dedicated local bird enthusiasts who have carefully monitored the progress of the youngsters.

The parents were witnessed feeding the young with both insects and birds they had hunted for.

Then, one day at the end of August, the chicks made their first flights from the nest.

This is always a nail-biting moment as the chicks are susceptible to accident and at greater risk to predators.

The process went well and, with the birds still being fed by their parents, the young hobby family left its nest in Habberley Valley to set off on their life's adventure.

It is impossible to tell how things will go for these birds throughout next year. But, if all is well, perhaps the parents or one of the young birds may return to nest in Habberley yet again.