Merlin, photo taken January 5, 2024
Vicki texted. "Watching a Merlin devour its prey..." Immediately I responded, "Here in Wildewood?"
We shared a bird walk the next day, and she showed me where she spotted it off of Wildewood Drive near the pool across from the pickleball courts. In a magical-feeling gift - Merlin was on the same branch!
At one point, it fanned its feathers.
There were two squirrels a short distance away. Or it could be it saw a nearby Mourning Dove.
In December, I photographed an American Kestrel (in Cortez, FL), another smaller falcon. They are slender and more pale than Merlins. Kestrels have a strong facial pattern with two "mustache-like" stripes that Merlins lack.
