Merlins and a Kingfisher on a cloudy day

Several people responded to my post about Merlins chasing birds their own size or larger with observations about Merlins chasing Blue Jays and even Flickers. But because the Merlin chases a big or bigger bird doesn't mean that the chasee ends up as Merlin prey. This morning I saw a Merlin chasing a Great Blue Heron and, frankly, I cannot imagine that Merlins catch and eat Great Blues. Just a surmise; I have no proof (and, as they say, absence of proof is not proof of absence).

I suspect that the chase instinct in predatory animals (from dogs to falcons) is triggered by flight much more than by quietly sitting. However when songbirds -- ranging from chickadees to crows -- mob a sitting predator this is no doubt a behavior, created by evolution or by learning, that results from the fact that predators are dangerous (to them or to their young) and need to be chased away. John Heidecker pointed out that he saw Blue Jays actively chasing a Merlin but it was during nesting season when they may have been particularly concerned to protect their nestlings.

Saw a Belted Kingfisher actually catch a fish in our pond. She flew up to the dead Red Cedar on the far side but, as soon as she saw me sitting there, she took off with her catch to swallow it somewhere else. I find that the Kingfisher is one of our wildest birds and cannot stand a close human presence.

Eric Salzman