A Meal For A Merlin
August 20th, 2008
I saw something new at Mud Lake yesterday evening. Not a new species, but a particular bird-watching "slice of life" that I had never witnessed before: a raptor in flight with catch in hand. He was off in the distance flying towards the river. Knowing that wherever he landed, he'd likely stay there awhile, I followed, and found him in a tree with a chickadee dangling from his talons. He was a Merlin: a handsome blue-jay-sized falcon of the north.
If you ever want to find a raptor, follow the noise. Some birds have alarm calls for raptors on the hunt, but that's nothing compared to the amount of noise all songbirds make when a raptor with prey in hand perches nearby and starts eating. It's a sound I can only call "outrage." In this case, the Merlin apparently got fed up with it, because he flew away to dine at a more secluded location. One particularly gutsy chickadee chased after him as he left.
August 20th, 2008
I saw something new at Mud Lake yesterday evening. Not a new species, but a particular bird-watching "slice of life" that I had never witnessed before: a raptor in flight with catch in hand. He was off in the distance flying towards the river. Knowing that wherever he landed, he'd likely stay there awhile, I followed, and found him in a tree with a chickadee dangling from his talons. He was a Merlin: a handsome blue-jay-sized falcon of the north.
If you ever want to find a raptor, follow the noise. Some birds have alarm calls for raptors on the hunt, but that's nothing compared to the amount of noise all songbirds make when a raptor with prey in hand perches nearby and starts eating. It's a sound I can only call "outrage." In this case, the Merlin apparently got fed up with it, because he flew away to dine at a more secluded location. One particularly gutsy chickadee chased after him as he left.
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