I was just walking in the woods behind my house and I flushed a dark raptor
which then reperched a bit further on. Using my best skulking skills I moved
up to a better look and was astounded to find my raptor was a Merlin, a
first for my yard list. I got a good amount of time to study it before it
flew.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer
Snohomish County, WA