Pinehurst Pet of the Week: Merlin Nest (not wizards)

I was out walking Charlie early in the morning the other day, when I heard an unfamiliar bird racket. A few moments later, I rounded a corner and noticed a woman peering through some sort of scope on the corner of 23rd NE and NE 113th. I met Barbara Deihl, who is an Audubon member, and part of a group of people, many, but not all of whom have Audubon connections. They are monitoring a Merlin nest in our neighborhood. This is significant, since Merlins rarely nest in urban areas.

(To hear vocalizations, similar, but not exactly what I heard, check out this very, very cool website: http://www.merlinfalconfoundation.org/vocalizations)

The current thinking is that this year’s nest in Pinehurst is occupied by a pair of Merlins who nested in Victory Heights last year in what was the very first recorded Merlin nest in Seattle!

One of the most dramatic stories I’ve heard from last year is that one of the chicks fell out of the nest before it was able to fly. One of the neighbors at the Victory Heights site rescued it and let Kim McCormick, a Merlin enthusiast who was helping monitor the nest know about the incident. Kim brought it to PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood. While the remaining nestlings matured, Kim and the PAWS people stayed in touch. When the day came that the chicks were ready to fledge from the nest, the PAWS people brought the rescued bird, who was also ready to fly, back to the neighborhood. The fledglings who had remained in the nest and the one who fell out were reunited at that time.

Kim has a website with lots of great photos www.pbase.com/kimmccormick and so does Marv Breece, who was also part of the group monitoring the nest last year. http://www.pbase.com/marvbreece/seattle_merlins_2008

The Seattle Times did an article and a video clip about the nest:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008065173_merlins22m0.html

In addition, the article on page 6 of Audubon’s February 2009 Earthcare Northwest is very informative.

Four and maybe five (or possibly a wing lump) of the chicks in this year’s nest! (photo courtesy of Barbara Deihl)

Before I had to hurry off to get ready for work, Barb let me look through her spotting scope. I got to see the chicks ripping apart what was probably a bird that the parents had brought them! Barb tells me that Merlins eat primarily small birds which they take in flight – occasionally they may eat dragonflies and bats. The noise I’d heard earlier was probably Spike (the female) calling out to the male, Thor. Barb says that they haven’t yet heard the chicks make noise. The chicks really can’t be seen by the naked eye from the street, but the group monitoring the nest are planning to be in the neighborhood watching the nest, particularly in the evenings for the next couple of weeks — until the chicks are fledged.

If you want to see something really cool, drop by and see if someone is there with a spotting scope. They are delighted to share what they know; the support of the neighborhood is vital in protecting and supporting this nest and habitat. The nest monitoring will continue through the upcoming fledgling stage in the next couple of weeks, and on through the summer and into the fall.

In addition, Barb has graciously offered to allow me to publish her home phone number, 206-525-7644, in case you have questions or if you have any interesting sightings to share with her. When Barb is at the site, she will bring an album with photos from last years’ and this year’s nest to share with anyone who is interested.

If you would like to see your pet featured in the Pinehurst Pet of the Week column, please send a photo and a few stories about your pet to Erica at ehas2dogs@gmail.com — I’m always looking for new pets to include.

FYI: The Great Dog Shoppe is deeply committed to building community in Pinehurst. Please mention that you read the Pinehurst Pet of the Week in the blog and get a free treat for your pet!