Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Merlin.....My latest lifer

Hello again, I am linking up with World Bird Wednesday   and Nature Notes

My post this week is my latest lifer the Merlin.  We got to see a few of these birds while visiting Chincoteague NWR recently. The merlin  is a small falcon and my field guide says they will winter on the coast. Merlins will go out after birds and insects on the wing. They can accelerate to incredible speeds to snatch their prey.  The adult is steely gray above and a streaky pattern below.



The Merlin above was seen during our sunset tour on the wildlife drive.






This Merlin was seen closer to Tom's Cove and the beach. We were watching the Merlin perched in a tree when all of a sudden it swooped down next to our car and grabbed a huge dragonfly and flew back to the perch to enjoy its catch.



The Merlins are migrating and I do believe we were seeing more than just the one during our weekend visit to Chincoteague.

To see more beautiful and great birds please visit World Bird Wednesday  and for
more nature scenes check out Nature Notes  Thanks to Springman of World Bird Wednesday and to Michelle of Nature Notes. I also appreciate your visit and comments. Thanks for stopping by. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

41 comments:

  1. it's so very kind of them to "pose" in a tree for a wonderful shot. they are so cute, i don't think i have ever seen them before!!

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  2. really neat. love their feathery legs. :)

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  3. Hi Eileen! I just noticed your new blog header. It's been a while since I last visited your blog and I'm sorry for that. ;-) Great shots and as always I am learning a lot from your posts. Have a great week,

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  4. Beautiful Eileen, it is hard to get, let alone with a camera.

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  5. Congratulations on your recent lifer, Eileen. What a treat to see it catching a snack near you vehicle and eating it in full view. Have a great day. Greetings. Jo

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  6. Great shots == perched on top of that bare snag he looks ready to dart after his prey at any second -- excellent that you caught him on camera before he moved! Congratulations on the lifer.

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  7. How awesome to see him come down and grab the dragonfly. Beautiful bird.

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  8. Beautiful shots and I love how you captured all moments...

    Nayana@Shutterbug

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  9. Merlin are beautiful little falcons. Nice you got to see one in action too. Congrats on lifer!

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  10. Magical Merlin!! what a beautiful bird!! and beautiful shots!!

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  11. A wonderful bird to see.. lovely images.

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  12. love the last one..handsome feller.

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  13. How cool! I don't know that I've ever seen a Merlin before. The shot with the dragonfly is great! Thank you for visiting my blog, Eileen! I appreciate it.

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  14. look at those puffy, fluffy legs! I love that, and I'm totally unfamiliar with this bird. thanks for sharing these fantastic photos. there's so much migration going on right now - it's a fascinating time of year. you've captured this guy very well, way better luck than I have when trying to photograph birds. thanks for visiting my blog and saying hello, I truly appreciate that. happy week to you Eileen.

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  15. These are nice photos Eileen. The last one I like very much looks like he is looking at you.

    Reflection

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  16. Fantastic catch of the merlin. And your header is gorgeous!

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  17. A great series of photos. I've read about Merlins but not seen one before.

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  18. Like some of the other commenters, I have not seen a merlin before. Blog visits are such a fun way of learning. Great captures!!

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  19. Merlin is a great bird. :)


    hi, I´m opening up a new watery meme. I call it NF Waters and you can find a testrun here if you like to check it out:
    http://nfmemes.blogspot.com/search/label/NFWaters

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  20. Engrossed in its prey, great action captures.

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  21. Congrats on a lifer, Eileen! Just the other day I saw a merlin snatch a small shorebird out of the air, so fast. You see it and then you don't. Nice pictures!!

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  22. such a gorgeous bird and the last one is perfectly captured.

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  23. Oh awesome, thanks for sharing these! I've been looking for a Merlin for a long time now and still no dice (though I've tried to turn many a kestrel into one..)

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  24. Your photos are terrific Eileen! What a beauty!

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  25. Never seen a Merlin here but still hoping. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  26. Hi Eileen, Great photography! i am so pleased you got to see you new bird. Have an excellent day tomorrow!

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  27. are birds programed that they will perch at the end of a branch?

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  28. Great sighting Eileen! I would love to see a Merlin one day. Even the name sounds cool. Great job of dealing with that low light too. Masterful post!

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  29. Major congratulations on this very neat Lifer!!!
    The photos are especially good because of the story behind them.

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  30. Eileen, just amazing! Just beautiful! congratulations!

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  31. Its a beautiful bird. Love how they are so graceful as they arched their bodies.

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  32. Very cool. I have seen a merlin at the zoo, but never in the wild. Catching a dragonfly is quite a feat.

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  33. How I wish I had the chance to see one too in my lifetime. A beautiful bird indeed, what a catch!

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  34. Congrats on the sighting! Lovely shots.

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  35. What a great sighting. My first, and only Merlin sighting was pitifully brief and I certainly wasn't lucky enough to watch it feed.

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  36. how wonderful to have it pose so nicely!

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  37. Oh wow..what a catch..I've never seen one and didn't even know what they looked like..thank you Eileen...

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Have a happy day, Eileen

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