Perched Merlin
September 16, 2009 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
The Canadian Peregrine Foundation sometimes recieves reports of various birds of prey,which are mistaken for Peregrine Falcons. We dont mind this,and encourage people to report possible Peregrine sightings to us,particularily if its believed the bird is in trouble/injured. We are also often sent photos to ID. It is in this context that I submit this report,to possibly aid folks in recognizing a Merlin. As it is a falcon,the confusion is understandable.
This Merlin perched in a tree at Rosetta McClain Gardens in Toronto Canada. It preened and watched as possible prey flew by it,eventually taking flight to try to catch first an American Goldfinch and then later a Northern Flicker(woodpecker family member),before disappearing. We were fortunate to watch 2 Merlins in a “dogfight” another day. They whizzed around the park at breakneck speed and came up so close to 2 observers they made them duck out of the way.
This video isnt the greatest but does show relative size and a few behaviors http://tinypic.com/r/6rhq55/3
