At 04:36 PM 11/30/98 -0800, you wrote:
>
>
>On Mon, 30 Nov 1998, Joe Mackie wrote:
>
>> and two minutes later had her come right over the van at about 10 ft.
>> with fresh kill. She perched for lunch in a birch tree immediately off
>> the road. Interesting how what had first appeared to be such a "cute"
>> little falcon was transformed into an efficient and ferocious predator.

I also had a good look at a Merlin today. As I came home for lunch I
spotted it in the top of a birch tree less that a block east of my house. I
looked at it with the binos I keep in my truck and then rushed home to see
if I could see it from my office window (an second floor bedroom). I was
able to see it in my scope through the large ash tree in my backyard. The
view wasn't the best with heat distortion from the window being open and
looking through a fairly steady rain. But it was a beautiful bird!

Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA

osprey at nwinfo.net