With this little hawk, you get what you see. The Merlin is a feisty, speedy little hawk that can catch birds and insects in midair, using level sprints or quick turns. I photographed this one back in October, as he was hanging on in the wind to a small shrub. At first I thought it may have been a Prairie Falcon, but the spacing of the banded tail and heavy streaking on the breast told me that it was most likely a Merlin.
Merlin
Merlin
Merlin
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Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller 