Today on Old Snohomish-Monroe Road I spooked a Northern Shrike from some
roadside shrubbery. As it was flying across the open field, a very dark
falcon came out of of nowhere and went in pursuit. The shrike dropped
immediately into some brush, the falcon swooped over the brush then kept
flying fast away from me. It sure looked like a merlin with its choppy wing
beats, but the light was less than optimum and I can't say for sure it was
not a dark peregrine. I drove around the corner in the road which led more
or less the bird was flying, but it was out of view. I have had three
reports of a merlin in the valley so perhaps I was oversearching the merlin.
While intently searching for the falcon a group of 36 trumpeter swans took
to the air, they were very well hidden from the road in a small pond. They
headed back the way I had come, and formed a perfect distraction to get me
to look the other way from the falcon. Conspiracy? Hmmmm. I continued down
the road almost to Snohomish but eventually I had to turn around and head
back to start a class. Not far from where I saw the swans was a merlin! It
was in perfect view perched on a utility pole. I thought, case closed and
as drove on about 5 minutes later a second falcon, small and dark flashed
across the field. At this point I had an impatient driver behind me and
could not pull off for several yards after which I could no longer see the
second falcon. So the mystery deepened. Were there two merlins? Or a merlin
and peregrine within half a mile of each other?

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer, Teacher
Snohomish County