Mike Smith wrote:

>And after seeing Ellen's message, it made me think more about winter, and
>the return of the coolest falcons - (you're all thinking 'Gyrfalcon') -
>Merlins. Merlins are my favorite falcon. Though not the largest of
>fastest of the falcons, they certainly think they are. One of the finest
>winter things to see are the Merlins going after Dunlin up on the
>Skagit/Samish flats.

I'll second the emotion. I was eating dinner on a friend's deck the other
evening and an object went over us so fast it was only subliminally
visible, an object the passage of which left me debating with myself
whether it was real or imagined.

I'm sure this heat-seeking missile was a Merlin in flat-out flight. On my
commutes between Seattle and Tacoma during the winter, I have several times
seen Merlins cross the freeway in level flight at speeds I don't think a
Peregrine could equal. They go faster than I would have believed a bird
could fly, just as in jaegers when they accelerate greatly from an already
fairly high cruising speed. They seem to jump as they begin this rapid
flight by much increased wingbeat frequency, as when a jet airplane turns
on its afterburners. They give the impression that whatever they are after
doesn't stand a chance (although I know that's not the case).

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416