[Bristol-Birds] Merlin vs Coopers
- From: dnldhlt@xxxxxxx
- To: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 15:27:05 -0400
Wednesday, 12 OCT 2005
Clyde Austin 4-H Center, Greene Co., TN
D. Holt
This morning I observed a Merlin flying straight and steady across a field when
it suddenly swerved into a dive, pulling up and repeating the dive several
times in a perfect U, like the pendulum dance of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
except around 50 ft. high. At the nadir of the arc was an adult female
Cooper's Hawk perched calmly on a fencepost that I could just glimpse through
the tall grasses between us. The Cooper's Hawk barely acknowledged the
Merlin's presence, only occasionally looking up to watch the Merlin as it
passed over within inches of her head. After 7 dives, the Merlin continued on
its way as if nothing had happened. The Cooper's Hawk remained on its perch
for several minutes afterwards. I did not hear vocalizations from either bird
during the encounter. Incidentally, the Merlin must have been molting tail
feathers, as the two center feathers appeared to extend beyond the others an
inch or so.
Don Holt
Johnson City, TN
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