bad weather predators

Last night's Screech Owl screeching (actually more a sort of tremolo trilling than screeching) ushered in a distinct change of weather. The morning broke with fairly strong winds from the northeast and a gloomy overcast, sprinkly and coolish, with scudding clouds overhead. October weather in the last week of September. Even in those conditions, some of the colors of fall shone through, notably the the Seaside Goldenrod, now approaching full bloom and ditto for the Baccharis halimifolia or Groundsel Bush with its greenish male flowers and female pappuses (pappi?) about to sprout a feathery bundle all around the marsh and some distance inland. Similarly, the pappus of the Pilewort has puffed out all over the place in a striking dandelion-like display that is equally intended for wind dispersal. Also the whites of the Pearly Everlasting, the purple stems and berries of the Pokeweed and the many striking red leaves that dot the Tupelos at the head of the marsh add to the overall effect even on a gloomy day.

All this sounds charming but in fact, it was an unpleasant walk; the weather was spiteful, the light was terrible and the birds few in number. I decided to cut it short and turned down the old right-of-way to head home. Almost immediately I spotted a Merlin -- not far from where I had previously seen this species -- sitting upright on a dead branch and working over an obvious catch, probably one of the birds that have been common in the head-of-marsh area. Unlike the previous encounters, it did not suffer my spying on its prandial exploits and took off before I could identify its breakfast. I'm becoming convinced that all three birds are the same bird, a migrant who has settled in (for now) in a spot where he/she can easily find food. Even the poor light probably works in favor of this sharp-eyed, super predator surprising its prey with a swift dart..

P.S.: Terrence Sullivan, commenting on my remarks about the lack of Blue Jay harassment, tells me that he has seen and photographed a Merlin chasing a much larger Flicker and being in turn harassed and chased by Blue Jays! Do Merlin spend much time on prey bigger than themselves? I still think that most of their catch consists of small and medium-small song birds. 

P.P.S. As the weather brightened this afternoon, the multiple Wild Turkey brood made a spectacular appearance, working on the grass seed and other vegetable matter inn the open areas on the front and side of the house. They must be finding adequate nourishment for almost two dozen big birds since the young turks are almost as full-grown as the adults.:

Eric Salzman