Merlins

Merlins are small, stocky, powerfully built falcons with streaky chests, hooked bills, pointed wings and medium length tails with white bands.

Female Merlin On International Women’s Day

By |2024-03-08T04:27:58-07:00March 8th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Merlins, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I found and photographed this female Merlin at my local pond last month, and she seemed to be the perfect bird for me to share on International Women's Day.

Surprise Merlin Photos – Two Merlins In A Pear Tree

By |2024-02-15T04:48:47-07:00February 15th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Merlins, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was at one of my local ponds yesterday morning when a gorgeous adult female Merlin flew in and landed on a tree not far from where I stood behind my tripod.

Bird Battle: Belted Kingfisher vs. Merlin

By |2023-10-15T04:08:15-06:00October 13th, 2023|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Merlins, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Little did I know that on my last trip up into the Wasatch Mountains, that I would witness a battle between a Belted Kingfisher and my first-of-season Merlin.

Adult Male Prairie Merlin At Bear River MBR

By |2024-02-15T03:52:05-07:00January 28th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Merlins, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One of the birds I photographed yesterday at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge was an adult male Prairie Merlin that I spotted on a fence post close to the road.

Merlin On A Large Wooden Post At Bear River MBR

By |2021-12-07T05:48:47-07:00December 7th, 2021|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Merlins, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I spotted a Merlin perched on a large wooden post way out in the marsh at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.

Merlin Memories

By |2024-02-15T03:57:43-07:00October 12th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Merlins, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I noticed in my Facebook memories that four years ago this morning was when I found my first of season Merlin out on the mudflats at Farmington Bay WMA.

2020 Photographic Year In Review

By |2024-03-16T13:33:22-06:00December 31st, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Bushtits, Common Loons, Cooper’s Hawks, Desert Tarantulas, Eastern Kingbirds, Elk, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagles, Gray Catbirds, Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, Green-tailed Towhees, Merlins, Mountain Bluebirds, Nashville Warblers, Northern Harriers, Pine Siskins, Red Foxes, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Red-tailed Hawks, Ring-billed Gulls, Rusty Blackbirds, Short-eared Owls, Townsend's Solitaires, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, West Desert, Wild Turkeys, Wildflowers, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This is my 2020 photographic year in review. I'm selecting some of my favorite photos from 2020 and a few that just make me happy to see them.

Merlin And American Kestrels – Two Falcon Species In A Day

By |2024-02-15T04:05:11-07:00November 13th, 2020|Categories: American Kestrels, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Merlins, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Any time I can see and photograph two falcon species in a single day is a great day and yesterday I photographed a Prairie Merlin and several American Kestrels.

Poof: Utah’s Merlins Could Disappear

By |2024-02-15T03:54:23-07:00August 13th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Conservation, Environment, Merlins, Montana, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In my experience Merlins are already hard to find in the state of Utah but because of our climate crisis they could become even more difficult to locate or they might even disappear from the state altogether.

Two Merlins Were My Best Finds Of The Day At Bear River MBR

By |2024-02-15T03:42:42-07:00April 24th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Merlins, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There isn't a single day in the field where I take my eyesight and my keen spotting abilities for granted and yesterday those attributes netted me not one but two Merlins while I was at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

First of Season Merlin – Odd Behavior and Possible Explanation

By |2024-02-15T04:00:03-07:00October 13th, 2017|Categories: American Pipits, Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Merlins, Montana, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spotted my first of the season Merlin yesterday morning out on the flats at Farmington Bay yesterday morning and it truly delighted me.

Centennial Valley Merlin

By |2024-02-15T06:27:44-07:00September 13th, 2015|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Merlins, Montana|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't often have the opportunity to photograph Merlins so I was plenty excited to find one yesterday on the South Valley Road in the Centennial Valley that stuck around for a bit!

Prairie Merlin

By |2024-02-15T03:45:47-07:00November 1st, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Merlins, Montana|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I saw a fleeting glimpse of a bird a few days ago that I suspect was a Merlin that migrated to winter here in Utah and it inspired me to post a few Merlin images today.

Merlin, Prey and Fog

By |2024-02-15T06:30:30-07:00September 28th, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Merlins, Montana|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to photograph a Merlin two mornings in a row in the Centennial Valley of Montana, once in low light and once as a fog rolled in.

Merlin Perched In A Tree ~ Friday Photos

By |2024-02-15T03:32:03-07:00January 27th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Merlins, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Merlins are winter visitors in the Salt Lake Valley so I have just a few more weeks to attempt photographing them. Merlins are used to be called "pigeon hawks" because their shape and flight patterns are similar to pigeons.

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