Merlin Falcon

 Most people think of an old guy with a beard and a staff when they hear the name Merlin, however merlin is also the name of a species of small falcons. merlins are a circumpolar species, which means that they are found in the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe and Asia. In North America they breed in Alaska, Canada and the northern potions of the United States. Most migrate south for the winter into the southern and western United States, Mexico, Central and northern South America. Birds in the Pacific Northwest and along the Pacific coast of Canada and Alaska often stay on the breeding territory all year long.

 As with most raptor the male merlin is smaller than his female counterpart. However unlike most raptors there is also a difference in color between the male and female. The males have more of a blue-gray tinge to the feathers on their wings and backs where the female are brown. The photo above is a male where the other two are females. The females coloration helps to camouflage her while she is on the nest. The male does not spend much time on the nest so he is brighter which probably helps him to attract a mate.

 Merlins are primarily bird eaters. About 80% of the merlin's diet is comprised of small song birds. The birds in the top two photos have caught dark-eyed juncos. They typically catch their prey by running them down in a high speed chase, often coming from below the prey. The other 20% of their diet is made up of small rodents and large insects. The female above captured and was eating a large darner dragonfly.

Merlin Falcon

The merlin  is a falcon that is found in the Northern Hemisphere. They breed in the northern portions of their territory, Canada, Alaska, Siberia, the Netherlands and such. They winter in the southern US, Mexico, Central America, Northern South America, the Baltic Countries, Northern Africa, the Middle East, and China. Here in southern Minnesota we have a few nesting pairs that are found in the Twin Cities. Merlin's do not build their own nest but take over the nest of another raptor or more typically a crow. They are much more prevalent in the northern part of the state like up in Duluth.

Sexual Dimorphism

 Sexual dimorphism is the term that is used to describe differences between males and females of the same species. Sexual dimorphism can manifest itself in several different ways. There can be differences in size, color, shape behavior or more. Reverse sexual dimorphism is when a species exhibits differences that are opposite of what we as humans consider the norm.

 In the world of raptors the female of the species is larger then her male counterpart. Since in our world it is the male that is typically larger this is an example of reverse sexual dimorphism. It is hard to tell the difference in size from the pictures above but the female in the lower picture is larger. The merlin falcon, pictured above, is one of a small number of raptors that shows a form of sexual dimorphism. In the case of most raptors males and females have the same coloration. However in some of the smaller species the male is much more colorful then the female. This is not an uncommon trait with many different passerines (song birds) and ducks.  The reason for this is because the female needs to have some camouflage when she is sitting on the nest incubating eggs. Since the males job is not to incubate eggs but bring the female food he does not need the same camouflage. In larger raptors it is not necessary because there are few things that would mess with the nest of an eagle, red tail, great horned owl, or other larger raptor, but these smaller raptor, like the merlin, need to take care so that they do not become a meal for one of the larger raptors.

Taiga's TRC calendar Photo

Falcon

Falcons are raptors that are in the genus Falco. There are 37 different species of falcons found around the world. Most falcons have several similar features. They have thin tapered, or pointed wings. Most also have markings under their eyes called malar stripes. Falcons are usually split into three loose groups. The smallest falcons are kestrels. Kestrels eat a combination of birds, small rodents and insects. Males and female kestrels often look very different with the males being much more colorful. In North America we have one kestrel and it is called the American kestrel, see photo above.
Next are the medium sized falcons. In Europe, Asia, and Australia many of the mid sized falcons are called hobbies. In North America we have a few medium sized falcons the most common of which is the merlin falcon, pictured above. Merlins are a circumpolar species that are found in the northern hemisphere of North America, Europe and Asia. They are primarily a bird hunter, using their speed and maneuverability to chase small birds though the air. They will also eat small rodents and insects, but birds typically equal about 80% of the average merlin's diet. Like most falcons merlins do not build a nest, typically they will use an abandon nest, such as a crow's nest, to raise their young.
Probably the most well known falcon is the peregrine falcon. The peregrine is part of the group of larger falcons. Peregrine can be found on every continent in the world other then Antarctica. They are almost strictly bird hunters. They catch their prey by diving at them at speeds of over 200 miles per hour. Here in Minnesota peregrines were almost extirpated in the 1950's and 60's by the chemical DDT. Fortunately DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1972 and through release programs in the 1980's the peregrine has made a complete come back. Unfortunately not all peregrine populations are so lucky since DDT is still used in some parts of the world.

Tuesday Tweets

Next week I hope to premiere the new meme Tuesday tweets. It will be a meme on birds so if you have a cool picture or drawing of a bird post it on Monday or Tuesday next week and come here and link up. Hopefully this meme will give us birders a place that we can share or awesome shots. I just have to take care of the linking details and then we will be up and running. So I hope to see you all next week.

Merlin Falcon

Merlin Falcon

When most people think of the word merlin they picture an old man with a long gray beard doing magic back in the middle ages, but if you are lucky you might be able to see a merlin outside your window today. The merlin is a small falcon that can be found through out parts of the northern hemisphere. They are circumpolar, with nine different subspecies found around the world, 3 in North America and 6 in Eurasia.
Over the ages the merlin has been called several different names. In medieval times they were referred to as the queens falcon or lady's falcon. During this time period falconry, hunting using a hawk or falcon, was all the rage with the nobility. While the royal men would use the larger falcons royal women would typically hunt with the smaller merlin falcon. Later on merlins were referred to as pigeon hawks, even though they are considerably smaller then a pigeon and it would be rare to see a merlin trying to take prey that large.

Merlin Falcon

Wordless Wednesday: Merlin Falcon

Hawk Weekend

This weekend was Hawk Weekend, which is the big celebration up at Hawk Ridge. So I spent most of my time volunteering up at the ridge or driving to and from Duluth. All in all it was almost 24 hours between the two days which made for a long, but very fun weekend.

Both days started out foggy in the morning but cleared up and got sunny and warm as the days progressed. I decided not to bring my big glass with because it gets heavy carrying it around all day and besides it can get in way when I am volunteering so I just carried around the 100 to 400 both days. So with out the big glass I did not do much in the way of flight shots so it was a good thing that the banding stations where hopping both days. We had 30 adopted birds on Saturday and 35 on Sunday, which is good because the adoptions are the main way that the HRBO pays for all of the programs. Most of the adopted birds where either merlin falcons, like the one in the first pic, or sharp-shinned hawks like the one above.

Once in a while we did get something different from the banding stations, like this mature sharp-shinned hawk that had a very unique eye. If you look carefully you notice that both eyes do not look the same. The right eye is the way that mature sharp-shinned hawk eyes are supposed to look. The left eye appears to have an extra large pupil. The bird was checked and it seemed to be able to see out of the eye so it was banded and released.

Another interesting bird was a coopers hawk. Coopers hawks are also accipiters, like sharp-shinned hawks only larger. Coopers hawks are not uncommon in Minnesota, we have a population that is healthy down in the Twin Cities, but Duluth is at the northern portion of their range so they are not as common up at hawk ridge, only 33 have been counted so far this season compared to 4212 sharp-shinned hawks. We did have a coop banded and adopted each day this weekend.

Red-tailed hawks are very common in Minnesota, as well as most of North America, but they don't usually begin migrating past Hawk Ridge until later in the season. However it is common for immature birds to begin migrating before the adults so we have counted a couple hundred of them so far this season. This was the first one that has been banded when I have been around so far this year.

We did see a number of American kestrels fly by this weekend also. Kestrels used to be much more common but their numbers appear to be on the decline, at least in my area. The numbers of kestrels counted each season up at Hawk Ridge has been decreasing and the number of kestrels admitted to The Raptor Center has also been decreasing. That is why the counting and banding work that is done by the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory is so important. The statistical data that they have collected can let us identify trends, like the one that we are currently seeing with the kestrels, and then look for reasons and solutions before all of the kestrels are gone.

That is why the Membership and Adopt a Raptor programs at Hawk Ridge are so vital because with out the funds the important research that is being done up at Hawk Ridge may end and then where will we be? Besides where else can you have a precious memory like the one above!

Camera Critters: Merlin Falcon

One of the lesser known falcons in North America is the merlin. These small falcons, which are only slightly larger then the American kestrel, breed across most of Canada and Alaska. Most spend the winter in the western US, Florida, Mexico, Central America and down into the northern portions of South America. Here in Minnesota there are some merlins that will breed during the summer in the very northern portions of the state but mostly we see merlins during the migration.

I photographed this merlin last September at Park Point in Duluth. It most likely stopped by the park, which is a strip of land that extends into the southern portion of Lake Superior, to do some hunting before continuing its fall migration south. Merlins, like most of the larger falcons, are primarily bird hunters. They use a variety of different methods to hunt including ambush hunting from a discrete perch, low fly overs to flush prey, or stooping, diving, from high above. Their prey typically consists of small to medium size passerines which includes open country birds like sparrows, longspurs and larks as well as woodland birds like vireos, warblers, kinglets and thrush, depending upon the habitat in which they are found. They will supplement their diet with small rodents, lizards and large insects, such as dragonflies. Dragonflies are especially common for immature birds.

Camera Critters: Merlin

The merlin is one of the smallest members of the falcon family that can be found in North America. Only the American kestrel is smaller with an approximate length of 9 inches and a wingspan of 22 inches compared to the merlin which is around 10 inches long with a 24 inch wingspan.

Like all members of the falcon family the merlin has pointed angular wings which help them to fly faster. They also have long thin toes which are helpful for grabbing prey that is in the air, and a tomial tooth, which is the small triangular shape that you can see midway up the beak in the picture below. The tomial tooth is used slice through the neck of a prey bird or animal and sever the spinal cord.

The merlin is sometimes called a pigeon hawk. This may have something to do with its hunting style. When on the hunt the merlin will often fly slowly behind its prey, giving the appearance that it is a pigeon or other slow bird, then when it is close it darts in and catches the unsuspecting prey.
Most merlins travel up to Canada, Alaska or some of the northern states to breed each spring. They prefer to breed in open country. Instead of building a nest of their own the merlin will use the nest of another raptor, a crow or other larger nesting bird. When the breeding season is over each bird will go its separate way, choosing a new mate during the next breeding season.
This merlin was captured last fall at one of the banding stations at Hawk Ridge. In the fall the merlin migrate to the southern and coastal regions of the US as well as Mexico, Central America and the northern portion of South America. I adopted this merlin which you can tell is probably a female because it is mostly brown in color. Males are more of a blue gray color.

SkyWatch Friday: Merlin release

This photo was taken back in October up at Hawk Ridge in Duluth, MN. The photo was taken by a Hawk Ridge volunteer, I kind of had my hands full, as I released a merlin falcon that I had adopted.
This was one of three birds that I adopted up at Hawk Ridge in the fall of 2008. The adoption program is a way that a normal every day person, off of the streets, can get the chance to hold on to a wild raptor for a few seconds and then let it fly free up into the sky. It is a great experience and the fee that you pay helps to fund all of the great education programs and studies of the Hawk Ridge Observatory.

Eye Number One: The Merlin Falcon

Seems that the quiz might have been a bit too hard, since I did not get much of a response, so I guess I will have to provide the answers. All of the birds, who's eyes were pictured where raptors that were trapped and banded up at Hawk Ridge this fall.
The first eye in the quiz belongs to a merlin falcon. I adopted this bird when I was up at Hawk Ridge on October 18th.

The merlin falcon is one of the smaller falcons in North America, the American kestrel is the only smaller member of the falcon family in North America. Sometimes called a pigeon hawk the merlin is one of a few North American Raptors that is sexually dimorphic, meaning that there is a visible difference between the male and female of the species, which in this case is color. Like many of the passerines that they prey upon the merlin spends its summers in Alaska, Canada and the northern US and migrates to the western and southern United States as well as Mexico, Central and northern South America during the winter. This bird was on his way south when he stopped to check out the bait up at Hawk Ridge.