You see a bird of prey about the size of a kestrel, flying low, swiftly and twisting, not hovering, and the thought crosses your mind it could be a hobby. When it's no sooner seen than it's gone you have no way of verifying. You tell yourself it was probably a kestrel in a hurry. Many bird watchers will know the feeling of "is it or not?". But the distribution range of hobbies does extend as far north as Yorkshire according to the RSPB. And when the bird you just glimpsed had pointed curved wings then it's tempting to think it was a hobby; in which case I may have seen several on Blacka but wouldn't wish to claim so with any confidence. Anyway there's always the chance it's a merlin!
Bird watching has become a popular hobby in recent years and the RSPB is one of the largest charities in membership terms. It's an interesting theory that there's a correlation between hobby popularity and the availability of gear and gadgets and the consequent shopping opportunities; everything these days has to tune in to the national obsession with shopping. Visiting the RSPB's Bempton site last month we dropped in at the shop for a coffee and browsed among the binoculars, guidebooks and other accessories: one could start modestly and look forward to
a lifetime of upgradings.
And there are the birds too of course.
Economists will insist it's a two-way process: the popular hobby leads to innovation and marketing coming up with lots of new products to satisfy a demand, but it's also true that a fascination with gadgets may lead to looking around for something to do with them once you've decided you've got to have them. Still, however good the binoculars they're unlikely to help with birds that are gone as soon as they appear; which is one reason I have none - and a fairly basic camera too.
Mountain bikers too are very keen on their gear - another story.
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