Overcast with the
threat of rain, mid 70s
We’ve resumed out regular fall
schedule of field trips for the Mearns Bird Club in Orange County, NY and it’s
my turn to lead. I selected the
Outdoor Discovery Center of the Nature Museum of the Hudson Highlands as our
site today. Fondly known by it’s former name, “Kenridge Farm”, it has always
been a mainstay for those wishing to find birds in any season. Our club conducted a year-long census
this past 12 months to establish an inventory of what birds we can expect to
find and when.
For the year long period from
June of 2011 until May of 2012, we recorded no merlins on site. One of the fastest of the falcons, the merlin
is also one of the smaller. In
spite of its size, however, it is more generally more full-bodied that many of
its counterparts. Its buff to
orange breast is often heavily streaked and it lacks the “side-burns” or
“mustache” found on other falcons.
Its prey of choice is small or medium-sized birds which it often
snatches from the air in mid-flight.
I often flies close to the ground, using trees and shrubs to cover its
approach until it is upon its prey.
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| Merlin I photographed at Cape Canaveral 2011 |
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| Merlin image I shot in 2010 |
We were blessed today to have
extended looks at a merlin which spent much of the morning chasing Blue
jays. We would watch it perched
high in the snags on the opposite side of the field we were birding. The jays would all be congregated in
nearby trees watching the merlin until it took flight and would fly into the
group causing them all to scatter. (Unfortunately, the camera and lens I normally carry into the field on extended walks like this mornings is in the shop for repairs, so with your indulgences, I am using several archival shots of merlins I took in the past.)
The more we watched, the more we began to surmise that the merlin was
not all that interested in making a kill this morning, but rather he appeared
to be playing, chasing the jays and making no real attempt to hit any of
them. Occasionally, he would take
off from his high perch, soar down to ground level and cruise across the fields
at lightning speed. Its been said
that if you see a bird of prey and its by you before you can say its name, it’s
a merlin.
Although the merlin was by far
the highlight of the day, we also had 40 other species on our walk. The warblers were hard to find as they
apparently have not yet begun to move through our area in earnest. Strong storms coming out of the northwest
are forecast for later today and tonight, and it is just possible that we may
find some of this fine songsters right here tomorrow when Sharon and I return
to lead another walk for the museum.
For today, it was a magical show put on by Mr. Merlin. What a pleasure to be able to share it
with 20 of our fellow birders.
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