Merlin

"Merlins are small, fierce falcons that use surprise attacks to bring down small songbirds and shorebirds. They are powerful fliers, but you can tell them from larger falcons by their rapid wingbeats and overall dark tones. Medieval falconers called them “lady hawks,” and noblewomen used them to hunt Sky Larks. Merlin populations have largely recovered from twentieth-century declines, thanks to a ban on the pesticide DDT and their ability to adapt to life around towns and cities." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Merlin/id

This was the highlight of a walk with friends yesterday afternoon, 15 October 2017. We covered the Boat Launch and Sikome areas, but ended up finding only 11 species of bird. Afternoons tend to be quieter, anyway, but it really was very slow finding any kind of bird. When someone spotted this Merlin, perched in among the trees, and not easily seen, it felt so good.

As I miss so many of the birding walks, I never feel guilty if, on the rare occasion, I do two of the repeat walks in one week. The weather was very pleasant yesterday afternoon, too. For the next week, it looks like our temperatures are expected to be in the low to high teens (Centigrade), which will be great.

Thanks for leading the walk, Bernie and Stephen - and for going for coffee afterwards. Always much enjoyed.