So... I have had very few small songbirds on my yard this spring. I do believe I have the answer to who is to blame.
A pair of Merlins has set up housekeeping on my neighbours yard, or more precisely in this tree on her yard.
I can be standing in the house and not hear a thing, but almost as soon as I step outside,I hear this high pitched screaming. Looking up into the tree right beside my deck and I am greeted with this sight.
I wouldn't want to be a small bird anywhere near. I will spare you the details, but I have watched him feasting on a small bird.
Yes, he is quite handsome, but please Mr. Merlin, find a different place to raise your family and allow me to enjoy my birds.
I will just have to say, this is the way of nature and accept what is.
I may have shown this picture before, but it sure was a lovely and peaceful sunset on Lake Minniwasta. At the time of this picture there was still ice on the lake. I am happy to say that is all gone now.
Watching a sunset is mostly a surprise. You just never know when that sky will light up with color.
Something to Think About:
“Happiness is the art of never holding in your mind the memory of any
unpleasant thing that has passed.”
10 comments:
I wouldn't mind having a Merlin show up to raise a family. Even if small birds may be a meal for its family. Love the treetop image!
And those sunsets are absolutely stunning.
What a handsome fellow! I have never seen one, and did not know they are so big. I had thought they are kind of the size of a Kestrel. I wonder if there are chicks nearby...
I watched a Merlin by the sea last autumn. Beautiful but deadly to other little ones. Great photos.
I had to go out and search Merlin to find out is is a falcon. as far as I know I have never seen one. we have the same thing with a redtail hawk. he has hunted for a year or so in our neighborhood and decimated all the birds including my favorite doves. for some reason the past 2 weeks he is gone and I have heard doves and jays and cardinals and several little song birds. Now we have tiny screech owls in our trees, not sure if they will bother the song birds. we were happy to see them return and now early in the am I can enjoy the coos of the doves. nature has its own ways for sure.
Oh my! Such a handsome fellow to be such a villain. I know we have red shouldered hawks here and I worry about our bluebirds, etc., but the birds keep coming back here so the hawk must not be too much of a threat to them. Well, maybe what I can't see doesn't hurt me...I know if I saw one with a small bird I would be quite upset. They can have all the frogs and lizards and mice and moles they want, but leave my birds alone! LOL. I love your beautiful sunsets. Yes, you never know what colors God will decide to use with each one. They are always unique and beautiful. God's masterpieces, I call them. Thank you for sharing this with. I will pray for your birds and that Merlin to go somewhere else, even if he IS handsome! LOL.
He is beautiful in his own right. Nature can be harsh. I sometimes don't know who to cheer on. As I have aged, I cannot bare to watch some of the details on nature shows.
Always amazed with your photos.
Awesome skies!!
The small birds quickly catch on.
I do hope that Merlin finds another place to call home so you can get your songbirds back. The susnet photos are gorgeous!
OH NO! We have a hawk that circles over ever once in a while but so far still get a lot of birds at our feeders. I enjoy them so much!
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