Kestrel or Merlin? (Hovering behaviour) (2 Viewers)

Just over a week ago I saw a falcon hovering on my local patch in the same way a kestrel does by motorways. The light wasn't great, but when I had the bins on it I could clearly make out a slate grey coloured upper with largish black band towards the end of its tail and large black tips to the end of it's wings. The only other thing I could make out was the typical markings of the underside of a falcon. No orange/brown was visible on the upper side, but this could have been a result of the poor lighting.

From Collins I've narrowed it down to kestrel or merlin. I've never seen a merlin before (not IDed anyway), but it did look much more like a merlin (from the guide). The only thing worrying me is the typical kestrel-like hovering, so I'm wondering whether anyone else has seen merlins hovering in the same way kestrels do?

I found an old thread about merlins hovering, but not sure whether it fits with a kestrel-like hover.

Also, I'm not sure whether it's important, but the area it was hunting is littered almost entirely with meadow pipits (and these are mentioned in the old thread as possible merlin prey).

Any help is appreciated!

Cheers,

Ben.

Most likely to have been a kestrel. I can't imagine that Merlins are anything other than very occasional hoverers (the thread you linked to suggests that the merlin was flying into a strong headwind when 'hovering'). As you say, poor lighting can make it very difficult to judge colours accurately.

Merlins primarily feed on small birds (such as meadow pipits) whereas kestrels primarily feed on small mammals (such as voles). Any area of rough grassland will have loads of voles as well as meadow pipits

I would go with kestrel, too. Grey colouration would also lead me to a male kestrel as would black wing tips

A safe kestrel tick then - still a first for this patch!

Thanks for the help.

ukbenny said:

A safe kestrel tick then - still a first for this patch!

Thanks for the help.

Click to expand...

Hi,
Good to get a new patch tick. Just thought: often a good guide to identifying merlin is their habit of leaving their roost and then immediately dropping down to ground level and flying straight and fast. ( typical behaviour to get under the local radar.) Last time I saw one (Holme, North Norfolk) it was being chased by a mistle thrush.

jforgham said:

Hi,
Good to get a new patch tick. Just thought: often a good guide to identifying merlin is their habit of leaving their roost and then immediately dropping down to ground level and flying straight and fast. ( typical behaviour to get under the local radar.) Last time I saw one (Holme, North Norfolk) it was being chased by a mistle thrush.

Click to expand...

I'll look out for that. There's a patch of GPs north of here where merlins are seen from time to time, so I'll bare that in mind when I venture there (and elsewhere). Thanks for the extra info. |=)|

Merlins are notoriously hard to see. They invariably perch on low perches, then set off at great speed low across the ground pursuing prey, suddenly spiralling up if they flush any pipits, larks, finches etc. But if you go to somewhere like Parkgate (dee estuary)on an anticipated high tide you can get good views if you are lucky and some sort of view is pretty much guaranteed. There are probably places nearer for you , its about local gem obviously. But merlin tend to favour specific places/habitat, whereas i find kestrels adapt to different landscapes.

Hi Ben,

I saw something at Hengistbury Head on the south coast at the weekend which amazed me. I've been lucky enough to see Merlin quite frequently this year, invariably the behaviour described, and often perched for some time beforehand. But on Sunday AM, whilst watching an impressive visible migration of finches I spotted a larger bird flying just behind one group, which for a couple of seconds I just couldn't compute. My mind was going, "Swallow?.. No, Thrush?.. No, Swift,.. er, what? er,..." and then for a split second I relaised what was going to happen and BANG!.. the bird took one of the finches and was in that instant recognisable as a male Merlin. I read later about a "thrush-like camouflage-flight", whereby the falcon "blends in" with the migrating flocks. I don't know if many other people have witnessed this but it does show the verstatility of birds of prey in their hunting styles.

I know people who have watched Marsh Harriers and Peregrines together chasing voles by running after them - I have watched a Kestrel catch frogs by running after them, and have seen Kestrels chase dragonflies like hobbies. I guess this doesn't help you ID your bird, prolonged hovering is 99.999% Kestrel, but birds will constantly surprise us.

Graham

Thanks wolfbirder and Graham for that extra info on behaviour. I'm sure it will come in handy in the future. :t: