Subject: Merlin, Thurston County
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:37:56 -0800

As I was watching an assortment of Junco's feed, a Merlin swooped in
flying low to the ground with arched wings. He was grey with four
white stripes on his very long square tail.

Michelle
Yelm
Thurston County
yelmbackyard at gmail.com

Dear Tweets RE: Merlin, Thurston County:


It was quite exciting to see a Merlin considering the number of
Junco's that were around just before dark. One Junco had just chirped
out in alarm that was somewhat ignored. A resident squirrel, who also
frequents that particular feeding area, had just wandered in looking
for food and may have been used as part of a distraction so that the
Merlin could feed on a tasty Junco. I am not aware if Merlin's hunt
using distractions? The Merlin was quite low to the ground at less
than two feet - so the likelihood is great that he snatched a Junco.
Not much else around that he would enjoy - I imagine that it appeared
a feast with the number of Junco's available at over 15 Junco's with
in 3ft-10ft of his "swoop" and another 10 Junco's 20ft-30ft away
opposite.


I don't believe that it was a Sharp-shinned Hawk due to the overall
grey coloring of the back of the bird, the smoothness of its wing
feather tips/shape, the four white stripes across its tail feathers
and its tail feather shape, its overall size was quite small -
considering most predators. I was within 30 feet and quite shocked
that something other than a crow would swoop around me and a few 4ft
trees/bushes so agilely and with much speed!


This Merlin was very light grey, unlike most of the examples in two
different book titles. I have issue with both titles in their
descriptions of the light grey form of Merlin (F. c. suckleyi) - as
described by : 1) Birds of Washington State by Bell and Kennedy and 2)
Western Birds by Roger Peterson.

Unfortunately, I did not view the underside of this bird or its tucked head.

Peterson describes the prairie form as "paler, lacking mustaches." and
the Coastal NW form as "dusky, lacking light eyebrow stripe." However,
the identification photos list a brown "columbarius", a dark
grey/black "richordsonii" and two forms of "suckleyi" one grey the
other very light grey.


Bell and Kennedy in the title, Birds of Washington State, has a
coloring description that confuses me further by indicating that the
[quote] "Black Merlin" (F. C. suckleyi) is most often seen along the
coast and inland in western regions. The less dark "Taiga Merlin" (F.
C. columbarius) is seen mostly east of the Cascades. The paler
"Prairie Merlin" (F. C. richardsonii) may occur rarely in eastern
Washington." [endquote].


Birds of Washington State indiciates "columbarius" as the "Tiaga
Merlin" which is less dark than that of the "suckleyi" or "Black
Merlin". Peterson's title, Western Birds, offers a clearer example of
"suckleyi" as being the lightest grey of all Merlin's.




The two descriptions of "richardsonii" and "suckleyii" rival one another.

Insight and experience on a clarification- anyone?




Michelle
Yelm
Thurston County
yelmbackyard at gmail.com