I observed a female or juvenile Merlin perched on a large, dead tree on the edge of the woods behind our home in Chanhassen yesterday. It was being harassed relentlessly by a half dozen or so Blue Jays, who were perched on branches all around the Merlin and also were dive bombing it. One of the perched Blue Jays even mimicked a Red-shouldered hawk call at one point, maybe in an effort to frighten the Merlin? We have Red-shouldered hawks nesting in the area every summer, so it's common for "our" Blue Jays to do this. Periodically the Merlin would chase one of the Blue Jays into the woods, then return and perch on the tree. Finally, it gave up and flew off. It was very entertaining. I also saw a Broad-winged hawk, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and a dozen or so species of warblers, flycatchers, and vireos.
Paul Worwa Chanhassen ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
