Yesterday morning, after checking on the chickens, I noted a MERLIN perched
on top of a 50 m tall Douglas-fir, about 175 m to the SSE. The bird then
launched in my direction, flapping briefly then gliding/stooping toward me
and then over me to end up strafing some sparrows in a blackberry fencerow
on my neighbor's place 125 m NNW of me. Merlins have really impressive
bullet-like flight. Amazing eyesight too, to see little sparrows on the
ground and in blackberries 300 m (almost 1000 ft) away. This was my first
January sighting at our place (most here are late Sep to early Nov), though
they are around the valley all winter (8 on the Roseburg-Sutherlin CBC this
year).
Matt Hunter
Melrose
