Today was my last scheduled day at the Hawk Watch. I expected
the raw weather, the overcast sky, and few migrating birds with the
rain approaching. What I did not expect was to arrive there at 8:50
today and see a small falcon perched in the locust that's behind the
picnic tables (next to "the" snag). My first thought was "Merlin!" but
it was small, so then I wondered if it was an Am. Kestrel, but a few good
looks through the binoculars confirmed the Merlin. It stayed for about
ten minutes, stretching its wings, and then flew off to the north. It
returned about 10 minutes later and preened until 9:17, then it flew
off to the southwest. Three minutes later, a merlin streaked past me from the
east, and while I wondered if this was "my" merlin or another, I saw
a small missile coming at it from the west and the two of them
had a brief midair encounter at 9:26.

At 9:30 I saw one of them perched on the back snag, and then at 9:35 it moved
to the locust, where it stayed until 9:45. At 9:54 it was back!

 From that point, the merlin stayed on one locust branch alternately 
preening and
observing me and the flocks of robins, waxwings, goldfinches, and blackbirds
that passed by. I went out to the lighthouse briefly and the Merlin was there
when I got back, and it was still there when I left for home at 11:50, just
ahead of the rain.

I believe the first Merlin I saw, the one that seemed to be waking up 
when I got there,
was an immature, because of the buffy tail stripes, and maybe a male, 
because of its size.
The merlin that was there from 10:00 until nearly noon was an adult, 
with white stripes
in its tail, and slightly bigger. However, that bird had its feathers 
puffed out
almost the whole time, and I don't know if that's normal for a Merlin perched
on an open branch for two hours with temperatures in the mid-40s (I was
in a parka and had a small polartec blanket on my lap) or if it was unwell.
It seemed a bit bothered by its left leg, and kept stretching that leg and
curling the toes, going over it with its beak. I saw it do that 4 or 5 times.

I did not see another raptor all morning, not even a Turkey Vulture, 
but spending
three hours with merlins kind of made up for that!

--Pat

Pat Valdata, Elkton, MD | 
"The natural function of the wing is to soar upwards
and carry that which is heavy up to the place where dwells the race of gods.
More than any other thing that pertains to the body
it partakes of the nature of the divine." --Plato