ID Help: Merlins

[The Peregrine Chick]

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]

     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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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??