The first MERLIN I ever saw was streaking thru a flock of ROCK DOVES. He hit and killed one on impact. The MERLIN too is smaller and lighter than the DOVE.

-Rolan


Nicole Michel <nmichel at birdpop.org> wrote:I worked at the Goshutes a couple years ago, banding migrating raptors w/ HawkWatch Int'l. On several occasions I had Sharpies (even little male Sharpies) come in and try to take the Rock Dove that we had out in front. It was always a funny sight watching these little guys going after a bird that was so much larger than them! We never actually trapped one using a dove - usually as soon as they saw the House Sparrows and Starlings they'd go after the smaller birds.

Nicole Michel
Vancouver, WA

At 05:36 AM 3/20/03 +0000, you wrote:
Tweeters,
Below is a recent description of a backyard scene. Could a Sharpie really take a
Rock Dove?

3/6/03, Thursday
At 10:15 this morning I caught a little video of a Sharpie in our backyard just
after it caught a House Sparrow in the camellia. I saw the bird streak in from
the west and I think it tried for some birds on the new suet feeder, then
succeeded in the camellia where they all dove, fleeing, and in hot pursuit. The
hawk wheeled out of the bush on those deep wings and settled in the grass by the
squirrel box. The squirrel eating there raised up on its hind legs and froze
until the hawk left a couple minutes later. My initial tape didn't take, but
after re-settling the camera on the tripod, I got some good footage that even
shows the last feeble struggles of the caught prey and the mesmerized squirrel.
Then

Subject: hawk
Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 12:52:37 -0800
From: pslott <pslott at attbi.com>
To: Alan Lincoln <alincoln at teltone.com>

Wow! That Sharpie was sitting on the birdbath when I came back from
lunch. It watched a squirrel come in and get into the peanut box. Then
two unaware Chestnut-backed Chickies wandered into the camellia and the mock
orange above it. I stood up and moved fast to the window flailing my arms to
alert the
little guys and they must've realized their danger because they immediately
disappeared. The squirrel ran back and forth under the tail of the
hawk to bury peanuts from the feeder, apparently still unaware. Each time, the
hawk rose up tall on its legs, looking very
annoyed, and I wondered if he would attack an animal so much larger and
heavier. While this was going on, a hapless Rock Dove was pecking
around under the Jay feeder. Sure enough, the agitated hawk rose up and
went after the dove toward the west. The last I saw them, the dove had
circled around and was running/flying on the ground eastward through the
yard with the hawk just a couple feet behind and above in pursuit!

Whoa! Glad it didn't get the Cb's.


--
Patricia Lott
Seattle, WA
VariedThrush at attbi.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicole Michel
MAPS Biologist and MAPSPROG Programmer
nmichel at birdpop.org
360-326-3583

Main Office:
The Institute for Bird Populations
PO Box 1346
(11435 State Route 1, Suite 23)
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
phone: (415) 663-2050
fax: (415) 663-9482

Visit our website at: www.birdpop.org
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Rolan Nelson
Burley, WA
rnbuffle at yahoo.com


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