Author Topic: ID Help: Merlins (Read 20182 times)

bcbird · « **Reply #37 on:** January 29, 2012, 19:11 »

This is quite a bit of fun. My husband and I did a couple of birds and found it very interesting.

RCF · « **Reply #36 on:** January 29, 2012, 15:05 »

Quote from: The Peregrine Chick on January 28, 2012, 21:57

Cornell University is working on a bird identification tool called "Merlin". In order for the tool to work, they are seeking assistance from the public to help them understand how people view birds - what they notice, where they notice, etc. Its a really simple serious of visual questions (what colours are in this bird's beak, how big is this bird, etc) that don't take more than a few minutes to do. You can do it once or can "play" as much as you like. Each time you participate you are helping them with their data collection process. Its very cool to see what they are looking for.

If anyone wants to "play", here's the link - http://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=1189&ac=ac

I couldn't find this at first, and I figured others may not be able find it either, so this link takes you to where you can "play".

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/labs/default.aspx

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #35 on:** January 28, 2012, 21:57 »

Cornell University is working on a bird identification tool called "Merlin". In order for the tool to work, they are seeking assistance from the public to help them understand how people view birds - what they notice, where they notice, etc. Its a really simple serious of visual questions (what colours are in this bird's beak, how big is this bird, etc) that don't take more than a few minutes to do. You can do it once or can "play" as much as you like. Each time you participate you are helping them with their data collection process. Its very cool to see what they are looking for.

If anyone wants to "play", here's the link - http://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=1189&ac=ac

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #34 on:** May 20, 2010, 17:18 »

lighter, greyer male merlin
photo by ronaldok

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #33 on:** May 20, 2010, 17:16 »

dark male merlin
photo by Aegolius

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #32 on:** May 20, 2010, 17:00 »

female Merlin with a mouse
photo taken in Michigan by JR Post

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #31 on:** May 20, 2010, 16:54 »

If you would like more information, including a sound clip, check out these links ...

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/merlin/id - Cornell University's All About Birds site
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Merlin/sounds - sound clip on the All About Birds site
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(bird) - Wikipedia very good site
http://www.merlinfalconfoundation.org/ - Merlin Falcon Foundation in Washington State

and here's a pdf on Merlins from Alberta - http://www.burrowingowl.com/images/profiles/mefa.gif

And try Google Images - type "merlin falcon" or you will get lots of pictures of the wizard

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #30 on:** May 20, 2010, 16:51 »

Hi Sable,

Sorry, I'm afraid I have bad news for you, its not a peregrine. Our peregrines nest on ledges - cliffs in the wild, buildings in urban settings. Your raptor is probably a Merlin (another falcon species) or perhaps a Coopers Hawk. Take a look at your bird's tail, Merlins have bars across the tail. Merlins would be my bet as you live in the Maples. They can look very much like juvenile peregrines but they are much smaller. The males sometimes have grey backs, some have malar stripes (moustaches) but they are thin compared with the peregrines.

Merlins don't make their own nests but rather take over old crows' nests, particularly in large spruce trees, but they will use any crows' nest in other tree species. What kind of tree is the bird in most of the time? Merlins and peregrines share alot of similar behaviours - courtship rituals, incubation and brooding, chick-rearing, and some hunting techniques. Merlins don't "stoop" when they hunt like peregrines, they are fast woodland specialists, so they zip through/around/over/under trees, something that peregrines don't do alot, just too dangerous at the speeds they can fly. Merlins also hunt smaller prey - basically birds ranging in size from sparrow to pigeon. And they are exhibitionists when they eat - they love the tops of telephone poles and they are very enthusiastic eaters, lots of feathers flying!

As for bands, chances are it doesn't have any. They have never been an at-risk species but some bird banders do band them when they catch them so its not impossible. If there is a band, don't kill yourself reading it, you won't be able to, the band on them will be a FWS aluminium band which isn't meant to be read at a distance, rather returned to the Bird Banding office in Canada or the US if the bird ends up in rehab/captivity or dies/found dead.

Enjoy your Merlins, they are great birds and having them nest so close is a wonderful opportunity!! If you have/get photos, please do email them to me at peregrinechick [at] species-at-risk.mb.ca.

SableLA737 · « **Reply #29 on:** May 20, 2010, 16:17 »

I live in the Maples. I have peregrines in the large tree in my back lane. I have seen the peregrines in this tree for the last 4 or 5 years. In March/April there were two of them, every day, most of the day. For the last month or so, it's been only one. It is in the tree from early morning, (6:00 a.m.) to late at night. I spend every minute I can when I'm at home, watching it feed and primp in the tree. I can't see the band with my binoculars. Does anyone know if the peregrines have names? Pls help if you can. Tks

pmg · « **Reply #28 on:** June 19, 2009, 23:24 »

Yes, that's a great way to describe merlin activity in the neighborhood. Good thing I grew up on a farm...so not squeamish about surviving in nature reality. My vegetarian grand daughters, on the other hand, don't really like hearing about what's been happening with our feathered neighbors. They do get really interested tho, in spite of the details

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #27 on:** June 19, 2009, 23:12 »

I like to refer to merlins as "over-enthusiastic diners"

pmg · « **Reply #26 on:** June 19, 2009, 22:56 »

Graceful yes, except when you are dealing with their 'leftovers'. Very easy to know when they are talking to each other. It's noisy when their nest is next door. We laugh about it now, when we hear them on the rampage. I know...everyone has to live like they are evolved to do. It's good they have found places in the city to survive in. Gets very exciting when we watch the Jays chasing the squirrel while the merlin is zooming in on the Jay's tree...nature in action. Meanwhile the chicadees and wood peckers are sneaking a snack at the feeders.

allikat · « **Reply #25 on:** June 19, 2009, 22:36 »

Aren't merlins wonderful...I think they are so beautiful and graceful!

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #24 on:** June 19, 2009, 22:33 »

Merlins are how I got sucked into the peregrine project so I think they are neat birds

pmg · « **Reply #23 on:** June 19, 2009, 21:31 »

yes, thank you for the link...my camera is woefully inadequate to take pics of the merlins who are keeping my neighborhood so exciting. They are wonderful to watch while they go about living and making a family here. Can't influence them to be vegetarians tho, I guess

bcbird · « **Reply #22 on:** June 19, 2009, 00:14 »

Thanks for the link, TPC.

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #21 on:** June 18, 2009, 23:26 »

Pretty sure Dennis has some merlin photos in his gallery ... www.pbase.com/photosbydennis ...

allikat · « **Reply #20 on:** June 18, 2009, 20:45 »

Quote from: pmg on June 18, 2009, 10:23

wow, the merlins in my neighborhood are giving me a great show today. Their babies must be hatched. Third time this morning I've seen the dad land on our spruce with a meal...defeathering just like Trey and Princess do Mom just came and got it from him and took it over to the nest. Amazing to see while keeping an eye on the downtown falcon family.

WOW...what a treat! Any way of taking some photos?

birdcamfan · « **Reply #19 on:** June 18, 2009, 20:44 »

Neat, they are kind of like mini falcons!

pmg · « **Reply #18 on:** June 18, 2009, 10:23 »

wow, the merlins in my neighborhood are giving me a great show today. Their babies must be hatched. Third time this morning I've seen the dad land on our spruce with a meal...defeathering just like Trey and Princess do

Mom just came and got it from him and took it over to the nest. Amazing to see while keeping an eye on the downtown falcon family.

birdcamfan · « **Reply #17 on:** June 16, 2009, 05:58 »

i miss our merlins but my budgies don't. they used to cringe when they heard them screeching.

Pchemist · « **Reply #16 on:** June 16, 2009, 00:12 »

gotta say, I would not miss the magpie SCREEEEECHsong one bit. Mute magpies would be fine.

I need some Merlins.

bcbird · « **Reply #15 on:** June 16, 2009, 00:09 »

We are enjoying our Merlins very much, yet still hear lots of birdsong. Not that we see lots of the little guys, but as TPC said we can tell they are there.

Nice thing about the merlins is that the number of crows and magpies has decreased, and their "birdsong" is not much missed!

pmg · « **Reply #14 on:** June 15, 2009, 22:22 »

We had chickadees, nuthatches, downey and hairy woodpeckers, gold and other finches, warblers, sparrows...in short, lots of birds at our feeders until the Merlin's started hunting in earnest. Tracy mentioned in one of the topics that the Merlin's don't decimate the smaller bird population in a neighborhood...the smaller birds just become more careful. I still see the woodpeckers every day. It gets pretty wild when the Merlins are out there hunting and keekeekeekeeing. I call them my 'mini Trey and mini Princess

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #13 on:** June 04, 2009, 09:08 »

Merlins will get talked about every year here I'm sure

Loriann · « **Reply #12 on:** June 04, 2009, 07:10 »

seems to me we discussed the merlins last year or the year before,, we have a pair here too in our neighbors trees, and they are not shy in the least.. they torment the crows ( and the occasional raven) endlessly.. we hear the 'arguements' early in the morning and evening when it is a little quieter.. we watched a merlin eat a crow less than four feet from us while she was sitting on the neighbors fence.. we were awestruck and too afraid of spooking her off to run and get the camera..

one of the few times that my teenage son was awestruck by something.

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #11 on:** June 04, 2009, 00:04 »

Yup, magpies are nest robbers just like crows, blue jays, grackles, squirrels and raccoons.

bcbird · « **Reply #10 on:** June 03, 2009, 23:59 »

We also seem to have fewer Magpies. Does that fit in the picture?

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #9 on:** June 03, 2009, 23:57 »

Actually the merlins moved in because you had crows and you have fewer crows because you have merlins. These two species do not tolerate each other in their territories. Merlins don't build nests so they steal crows' nests prior to the crows nesting in the spring.

As for your song birds, you won't have less with the merlins there. A couple of very eminent scientists did some great reaseach on songbird (ie prey) species population numbers in merlin territories and they found that the overall population numbers don't decrease with a pair of merlins and young in the area. They do howver become a) much more secretive and b) much less predictable/routine in their behaviour. Think lion on the Serengeti - the number of wildebeest don't go down overall, they just avoid the lions when they are hungry and keep an eye on them when it appears they aren't ...

bcbird · « **Reply #8 on:** June 03, 2009, 23:52 »

We have a Merlin pair nesting in a neighbourhood pine. This is the first year we have noticed them, and interestingly, have also noticed much less crow activity this year. We have lots of sparrows, so I guess that's why the Merlins moved in.

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #7 on:** June 03, 2009, 23:46 »

Quote from: TCONA on June 01, 2009, 18:59

There are a pair of prairie(?) falcons nesting in a neighbours tall spruce for the 3 year,are they similar to peregrines in behavior?

Sorry Tcona, not prairie falcons, they are merlins, another falcon species. Prairie falcons don't live in urban areas rather they nest in alpine areas. They can look alike however though merlins are about 1/2 the size. Prairie & Peregrine Falcons are about the same size. Merlins are woodland hunting specialists, hunt from just below the tree cover to just above the tree cover - prey is sparrow to pigeon size - don't stoop like peregrines but exceedingly fast on the horizontal - live in old crows' nests (don't make their own) - chick/chick-rearing behaviour is the same - vocalizations are very much the same to all but the experts though the pitch is higher. They are very very neat birds - and very accessible for viewing - keep an eye on them and you will get a great sneak peak at what you will see as the peregrine chicks grow up!

TCONA · « **Reply #6 on:** June 01, 2009, 18:59 »

There are a pair of prairie(?) falcons nesting in a neighbours tall spruce for the 3 year,are they similar to peregrines in behavior?

carlajaybee · « **Reply #5 on:** January 01, 2009, 22:34 »

Thanks for your input fellow bird lovers. I will try moving one of my feeders that is more out in the open closer to the house. Also the suet feeder could be repositioned (I miss my downy woodpeckers). Other than that, I guess nature will take it's course one way or another. Can't wait till Spring and peregrine season.

The Peregrine Chick · « **Reply #4 on:** January 01, 2009, 20:41 »

Actually CJB, it is probably more a case of your birds moving to somewhere else for the moment. They do that. And overwintering merlins, they will keep moving around from feeder to feeder as well. If you want to take the feeder down, feel free, but your birds probably haven't gone far, and are in fact still coming to your feeder, just not when the merlins around and not on a regular schedule. Its the same kind of behaviour they would engage in during the summer with merlins around. We have found that the number of birds doesn't in fact decrease, just that they are more secretive and they much less habitual about visiting feeders. Now that is summer research, not sure about the winter.

As for the particular species of birds you listed, where is the feeder they are using? by your house or another structure? or in the open? Merlins though very good at flying amidst obstacles generally will avoid getting close to buildings/garages/high fences, as they greatly increase their risk of injury, a quick death sentence in the kind of weather we have had in Winnipeg over the last month. Because woodpeckers and nuthatches crawl up and down tree trunks, they are are not so easy to catch, need to a very good hunter for that. As for the chickadees, they like to bop from cover to feeder and back to cover, so they too are at much less risk than say house sparrows, which I figure are like Big Macs for merlins (that would make your feeder the "fly-thru").

Upshot is, take the feeder down if you would like, it will probably take "your" birds a few days to find it when it goes back up as they will have found a new source in the meantime. If your feeder is in the open, you could move it so that its closer to the house, or hang it from your eaves or outside a window. As for "your" birds actually being predated, maybe, not the easiest things to catch as I said, may be that they are around, just shaking things up and they'll reappear once the merlins move on. I should say that I have all the same birds you have, and I've watched my merlins ignore the woodpeckers/nuthatches/chickadees in favour of the greedy little sparrows at my millet feeder.

Hopefully somewhere in there is some assistance and/or reassurance,
The Peregrine Chick

photosbydennis · « **Reply #3 on:** January 01, 2009, 20:40 »

I would tend to agree with Eagle. Give that a try and see what happens...the feeder birds won't starve as they will find another feeder. After a week or so put your feeders back up and see what happens. Yes...Merlins do winter over here in Manitoba...if this is your location.
The birds will return to your feeder and hopefully with out the Merlins at the sidelines.

Cheers !
Dennis

eagle63_1999 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 01, 2009, 16:40 »

I recently read somewhere that if you have hawks hunting at your feeder, take the feeder down for a couple of weeks. The pair of Merlins should move on. Once enough time has passed you can put the feeder back out. The sparrows,woodpeckers and nuthatches should come back with time.

carlajaybee · « **Reply #1 on:** January 01, 2009, 11:04 »

I have a pair of merlins feeding at my "bird feeder buffet " (eating sparrows). Fascinating to watch but rather hard on the sparrows. Woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches have dissapeared completely. My question.... should I remove the birdfeeders for awhile. Will the sparrows starve? Will the merlins fall for it or just come back when I put the feeders back? Do merlins usually winter here??

Author Topic: ID Help: Merlins (Read 20182 times)

SableLA737

TCONA