I haven’t had much luck seeing these cool little raptors this winter so was happy to come across this one last weekend. It was hanging out on a utility pole not far from my house. Best of all, it was surprisingly patient with me and gave me some nice poses, including this one when it was as focused on me as I was on it.
Merlins are small raptors, a bit bigger than a Kestrel, but are just as ferocious as the other members of the falcon family. They prefer to dine on other, smaller birds, attacking with extraordinary speed and ferocity.
