Merlin (1 Viewer)

[James Riley]

We have a Merlin in the back yard that just killed a European Dove (?). She's back there chowing down now. She can kind of see me through the window but I move slow, so she's continued eating. Then she hunkered down over the dove now, frozen, she quit eating and started looking up from her crouch. A raven croaked and flew into the top of a snag over the kill. I don't think the Raven sees the Merlin, but the Merlin is not moving. Merlin just left. We have some pictures and movies we may try to post later.

12" long, or so, just slightly larger than the dove. Brown back with a ring of faint light dots. Three light bars on tail with a fourth light terminus on the tail. Yellow legs with white leggings. Brown and white mottled chest. White throat. Light eye brow stripe, dark eyes, dark vertical line below eye.

What I found interesting is the Merlin ate some feathers. Yes, most were tossed aside or removed from the beak with a foot, but several pieces of white down were gobbled up. It seems to me that would be a waste of stomach space that could better be filled with fresh bloody meat protein from the dove, especially in the winter with snow on the ground and single digit nights. Why eat down?

I feel blessed.

 

[KC Foggin]

And blessed you should feel

A great moment and action you witnessed and like you, I am surprised that the Merlin was swallowing feathers.

 

[James Riley]

I'm going to try to attach 2 pics, one front, one back. I have video too, pretty cool, but I don't know how to do that.

Interesting: The Merlin opened the dove up from the back, picked away at the back ribs and took some visceral, but not all. Surprisingly, left all of the breast (which is what I eat when killing European Doves). I know the guts have lots of protein and are easier to pull apart, but for some reason I expected she'd go in through the front. There is still quite a bit left. I'm not sure if she was full, or if she just felt uncomfortable with the raven above and me through the window. Nevertheless, she did get at least a couple/three tablespoons of meat, at least.