Bird Sightings : Hebrides : Merlin

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Gaelic: Mèirneal

Photograph © John Dempsey
Grenitote - North Uist - Outer Hebrides (Western Isles)
15th October, 2006

"I think there was a clear passage of these little falcons today - I saw at least 12 ..."

 

Our Merlin photographs

Merlin	Merlin

Resident or migrant breeder / passage visitor

• Merlin
• AKA: Stone Falcon, Pigeon Hawk (flight - look a bit like pigeons)
• Falco columbarius
• UK AMBER LIST, 13,000 pairs (Summer) BTO
  (1,300 breeding pairs) RSPB
• Breeds: Upland moorland, birch scrub, forest. North America, Asia, Europe (UK nest usually a scrape on upland rocky or scrub moor in long heather)
• Winter: In Aug - Oct birds come down to inland & lowland coast areas & North European birds arrive. (Open countryside areas) .Some Icelandic breeding birds migrate to UK and birds that breed here move further south. Merlin often roost communally & with hen harriers. Africa, Asia, South America
• Habitat: Moor, heath, desert, open coniferous forest
• Diet: Small birds (mostly) usually caught by dashing pursuit
• Smallest bird of prey. Male: 10-13in long, wingspan 24-27in. Female slightly larger. Compact, relatively long square-cut tail & fairly broad-based pointed wings (shorter than other falcons')
  Adult male: blue-grey above & orange-tinted below. Female & immature dark-brown above & whitish with brown spotting below.
• Max recorded age: 12yrs 8mths
• Listen to a merlin (RSPB site)
• Similar birds: kestrel, sparrowhawk
  

Our smallest bird of prey.
Small but powerful...the hunting flight is a low-level glide,wings held close to body), pushed by occasional series of deft wingbeats (also hovers).

During a stoop the wings close and the bird becomes a missile that comes upon it's prey with such speed and power that the bird can take prey up to 4 times it's own weight. Dashing, agile aerial chases are a speciality. Will take a grouse but mainly feeds on pipits and larks.

 

Other local bird photographs

John's Blog of his two week stay in the Uists

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