[obol] Question about Kestrels/Merlins in wooded areas

[Norgren Family]

It is routine for Merlins to winter
in wooded residential areas. One was often
seen on the OSU campus while I was going to
high school in Corvallis in the 70s. While
visiting a friend at UC Berkeley in 1980 I
saw a Merlin a block or two off campus. That
was the month of January. While at Reed College
(Portland,OR) in the early 80s I saw a Merlin
a few times a winter either on campus or in
adjacent neighborhoods.
I was in Scapoose in mid January and got excellent
views of a Taiga Merlin along Columbia St,. where
it perched on two different Douglas-firs among
extensive single=family houses. They seem to
overlap the Sharp-shinned Hawk in terms of
winter habitat and prey. Perhaps the key is a
highly fragmented canopy, typical of many residential
areas. But a closed canopy discourages detection by
humans.
Dan Fenske has described the breeding habitat of
Black Merlins on Vancouver Island to me, and it is
boggy thicket, all but impenetrable to humans on
foot. Perhaps it is our most adaptable falcon, as
they often frequent wide open fields, flying very
low to the ground and perching on dirt clods, in
a way reminiscent of Gyrfalcons.
A couple of weeks ago I saw a male Cooper's Hawk
perched on a utility wire, mid-way between poles.
It was a very windy, rainy morning. The hawk had
its tail fanned out and was really swinging in the
wind. I thought perhaps it was trying to dry wet
feathers. A few days later I saw it in the identical
spot. It was a still, fairly sunny day this time.
      Raptors as a group are probably more adaptable
than many of their human admirers would like to think.
Lars Norgren MANNING OREGON
On Mar 3, 2007, at 1:41 PM, Brandon Green wrote:

>
> OBOL,
>
> Over the past month or so, I've had two sightings of what appeared to 
> be a small falcon in my yard in Eugene (most likely either a Kestrel 
> or Merlin... I didn't get that good either time).  Normally, this 
> wouldn't surprise me, but I'm in an area with enough trees that even 
> Starlings are uncommon.  It's my understanding that most members of 
> the Falcon family prefer more open environments.  Is it uncommon for 
> Kestrels or Merlins to inhabit suburban areas with dense tree cover?
>
> Thanks,
> Brandon
>
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