That being said, what we have here is a merlin enjoying an early morning meal near Highway 1 in San Simeon.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
The wonders of the Central Coast - A Merlin's Breakfast
This picture merits a separate post for two reasons. First, I like it a lot; in fact, I think it's the best picture we took this trip. (Roxy snapped it from the car window, so the credit goes to her.) Second, it's gory and not very appetizing, though true to nature, so if you are squeamish, don't look! On the other hand, if you like gory stuff, clicking on the photo will bring up the original size.
That being said, what we have here is a merlin enjoying an early morning meal near Highway 1 in San Simeon.
That being said, what we have here is a merlin enjoying an early morning meal near Highway 1 in San Simeon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Do you know what species the meal is? I had never seen a hawk eat a bird. here they usually loiter near highways and look for roadkill squirrels and other critters.
ReplyDeleteThere are several species of hawks that feed almost exclusively on birds, Cooper's hawk, Merlin (sometimes called Pigeon-hawk) and various Sparrowhawks among them. This one seem to have gotten some sort of wading bird, by the look of what's left of it. I showed it to a bird specialist, and his opinion was it's some sort of plover or sandpiper.
ReplyDeleteWhere is "here" - Canada?