On the other hand, what about an orderve? I once observed a Merlin fly in
casually from a long distance to land in the top of a gigantic oak tree on
Sauvie Island near Portland. As it happened a Bushtit flock was foraging
there. As the Merlin landed it casually reached out with a foot and nabbed
a Bushtit. No chasing was involved and I wondered if the capture was
planned or just a last-minute target of opportunity when landing.
Bob OBrien Portland

On Tue, Jul 12, 2022 at 3:22 PM Michelle Landis <asmalllife at gmail.com>
wrote:


> While a Merlin could probably catch a hummingbird, I wonder about the

> calorie math. A hummer can't be more than a few mouthfulls. The Merlin

> may not be willing to engage in the incredible gyrations it would take for

> that small a reward. As with anything in the bird world....it depends on

> how hungry the bird is.

>

> Michelle Landis

> Coupeville

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