ML615942569

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Very dark merlin. Entirely black above (saw when perched and during wing beats when soaring). Underwing and breast displays rich mix of black, gold, and white spots. Noted low density of white checkering underwing compared to more likely columbarius ssp. Also note lack of white banding on tail. This bird lacked any complete bands, just a couple white spots on tail feathers, indicating suckleyi. The bird called as I was observing the active acorn woodpecker granary tree near the Sun Field Station for a class project. I turned to see the merlin perched at the top of a tree in the stand of Douglas fir adjacent to the Station. The bird then began to fly and soared north of the field station in a circular fashion before briefly returning to the stand of Douglas firs, calling again, and then proceeded to circle above me. I was able to grab my camera and photograph the bird as it circled above me. I was struck by how dark it was compared to other merlins. I later reviewed photos to determine the subspecies, some are attached below.

Technical information

Model

ILCE-7M4

Lens

FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS

ISO

125

Focal length

600 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

1706 pixels x 1182 pixels

Original file size

261.33 KB