August 2025 Bird of the Month: Merlins

Mary Birdsong

Mary Birdsong, the lead shorebird monitor for the Erie Bird Observatory, has a love/hate relationship with the Merlin. On one hand, it's a very cool neighbor in an urban environment, on the other, it's a predator making avian conservation efforts more difficult.

Merlins, small falcons that make their presence known with strident calls, are birds with which I have a very complex relationship. At home in the city, they are my favorite falcon and I am proud to say I found the first successfully fledged nest in Erie County a block from my home in 2014.

At Gull Point on Presque Isle State Park, however, when I am working as Erie Bird Observatory's lead shorebird monitor, tasked with keeping track of the endangered Great Lakes Piping Plovers nesting there, Merlins are my sworn enemy. These nimble flyers with sharp talons are considered the most dangerous predator to these small, plump shorebirds.

So, to help me resolve this dichotomy, I choose to hate Merlins in the summer when Piping Plovers are present at Gull Point and love them in the winter when they regularly perch in my mid-town neighborhood.

New to our region, Merlins have been expanding their geographic range since the 1960s when the species began a recovery from its DDT-era population low. The species has also made a notable move into urban areas, where in the past they had been more abundant in rural, forested habitat.

They are so new to the Erie region that maps showing the range of the species often do not include our area. But they are here and are year-round residents. Any time is good for finding them but they are more vocal during the summer breeding season. They often perch on the top of utility poles or large conifers.

Merlins can be recognized as small hawk-like birds that sit upright on their perch. They are compact, with a wingspan of 24 inches, dark backs (called a mantle in the bird world) and longish, striped tails. The females can be a bit larger than the males and are browner, while the males appear bluish-gray.

They are fast and powerful flyers who take most of their prey on the wing. Their diet almost exclusively consists of small birds and they are capable of rapid and impressive aerial maneuvers when seeking that prey. Their average speed is approximately 30 mph (50 kph).

Their speed and maneuverability make them both beautiful and deadly – so for me, a delight and a scourge. But that, I suppose, is nature doing what it needs to do.

Mary Birdsong is the lead shorebird monitor for Erie Bird Observatory. Learn more at eriebirdobservatory.org. Mary can be reached at mbirdsong@eriereader.com