Bird Ramblings

This is a Merlin, photographed here in Dallas Retirement Village on the 21st of November. Like last week's photo of the American Kestrel, it is also a member of the Falcon Family.  But don't let the Merlin's drab coloration compared to the bright colors of the Kestrel of last week fool you into thinking it's a dull bird.  In fact, in many ways, it is a more exciting bird.  It feeds primarily on small songbirds, which it enjoys capturing in mid-flight. It is a winter bird here, migrating from Canada in the fall and hanging around through Spring. It seems to follow Pine Siskins in their journey South from Canada. Pine Siskin populations vary from year to year depending on the conifer tree seed production in Canada. So far this year I have not seen any Pine Siskins here at DRV, but I did notice just a few days ago that we have large numbers of goldfinches and robins, so I'm thinking the Merlin will have a reason to hang around.