RE: [Maine-birds] SoPo Merlin(s)

The Bowdoin pair was active again this year and seemed to be feeding newly fledged young during the last week of June/first days of July.

 

I haven't noticed any activity in Gardiner this year but they have nested for a number of years.

 

Jeff Wells

 

From: maine-birds@googlegroups.com [mailto:maine-birds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Louis Bevier
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2015 9:50 AM
To: Scott Cronenweth
Cc: Maine Birds List Serve
Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] SoPo Merlin(s)

 

Thanks, Scott! Were the vocalizations a long series of chatters like ki-ki-ki... or kik-kik-kik…? Those are the most common sounds, males a bit higher pitched than females. They are unlikely to begin re-nesting at this time of year. By now they should be fledging young. You might have heard a pair interacting, a juvenile and an adult responding to each other, or a nest-mate fledgling calling back. They get to nesting fairly early after return and set-up shop by early April (Bowdoin) to early May (Waterville). They are on eggs by mid-April to mid-May, and incubation lasts about a month. It then takes another month for the young to fledge; so mid-July is the time young Merlins start stepping out. This timing coincides with peaking abundance of odonates, many dragonflies, that these birds eat like chicken nuggets. Urban pairs eat House Sparrows too, and those are common prey in food-exchanges and for feeding the nestlings (https://flic.kr/p/ePeVGQ). They usually move to a new nest site every year or at least every other year (at least that's been true here), and those nests are usually abandoned crow nests. They don't build their own nest. Exciting birds for sure! Just tell 'em to leave my Buff-breasted Sandpipers alone this year!

 

Louis

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