This merlin falcon was photographed in Paul Lake near Kamloops in September, 2024.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Doug Giles
October 25, 2024 - 6:00 AM
Merlins are fierce little falcons that hunt in urban and rural areas in Kamloops and the Okanagan year-round, but seeing them is tricky as they small and extremely fast.
One of the smallest falcons in North America, merlins are roughly 25 centimetres long and weigh only 200 grams. They are also powerful fliers and skilled hunters that use surprise attacks when taking down prey.
“They feed primarily on small birds so they can be found where small birds congregate, and food sources for small birds is likely to attract them as well,” said Kurtis Huston of Wild Birds Unlimited in Kamloops.
Merlins have been observed working in pairs to hunt large flocks of waxwings, where one scatters the flock by attacking from below while the second comes in to take advantage of the confusion, according to All About Birds.
Medieval European noblewomen once used the birds for sport to hunt skylarks. Falconers in Europe and North America still work with merlins to hunt a variety of small birds.
A merlin falcon was spotted in Keremeos in October, 2024.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Kathy Green
The oldest known merlin was almost 12 years old. He was banded in New York in 1982 and recovered in New Brunswick in 1993.
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While he doesn’t have the exact size of local merlin falcon populations, Huston said the birds have been growing in numbers by 2% every year since the 1960s, after suffering a major decline from pesticide use and currently have a healthy breeding population.
Adult male merlin falcons are slate grey in colour while the females are more brown, and at this time of year both sexes can be found patrolling shorelines or perched in open forested areas scanning for prey.
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A merlin falcon has food in its mouth on a perch near Kamloops in the summer.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Doug Giles
A merlin falcon perches near Kamloops in late summer.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Doug Giles
A merlin falcon perches on a branch in Okanagan Falls in July, 2024.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Shirley Sobkow
A merlin falcon snacks on its prey in Kamloops in the fall.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Mary E Boychuk
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