{"id":96190,"date":"2021-10-12T06:09:41","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T12:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=96190"},"modified":"2024-02-15T03:57:43","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T10:57:43","slug":"merlin-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/10\/12\/merlin-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"Merlin Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

I noticed in my Facebook memories that four years ago this morning was when I found my first of season Merlin out on the mudflats at Farmington Bay WMA.<\/p>\n

\"MerlinMerlin on a snowy and foggy morning \u2013 Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/800, ISO 800, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Merlins are not year round residents in northern Utah, they do not breed in the state, and these small, stocky falcons usually start showing up again about this time of year. Some of the Merlins are passing through and some will overwinter here.<\/p>\n

The Merlin I found four years ago was a long way from where I sat in a mobile blind and the falcon was somewhat challenging to point it out because it looked like a small lump of mud. I didn’t get any great photos of that bird but I watched it as some daring American Pipits<\/span><\/a> got close to where the Merlin was on the flats.<\/p>\n

Thinking about that Merlin brought me back to memories of the first decent photos that I was able to take of this species in northern Utah. It was a snowy, foggy January morning at Farmington Bay WMA when I spotted that first Merlin perched in a tree in 2012.<\/p>\n

\"HighHigh key Merlin at Farmington Bay WMA \u2013 Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/800, ISO 800, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

With the snow white background and low light conditions my best option on that day was to attempt to take high key type photos of the Merlin<\/span><\/a> as it rested on a dead branch in the tree.\u00a0 Even though I had tough conditions when I photographed this individual I always recall how fortunate I felt to find and photograph my first Merlin in Utah.<\/p>\n

The temperatures here have cooled down, there is snow on the tops of the Wasatch Mountains, and the cold fronts that are blowing into the Salt Lake Valley could bring the Merlins back any day now. I don’t see Merlins as often as I do American Kestrels, Prairie, and Peregrine Falcons so when I do I am always thrilled. I am anxious to start looking for them again.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Merlin photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I noticed in my Facebook memories that four years ago this morning was when I found my first of season Merlin out on the mudflats at Farmington Bay WMA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1022,697,1182,26],"tags":[2663,4897,4297,4078,12043,6242,4175,3984,1123,4094,4296,12459,153,4050,4328,4427,4095,373],"class_list":["post-96190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-merlins","category-utah","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-branch","tag-falco-columbarius","tag-falcon","tag-female-immature","tag-first-of-season","tag-fog","tag-foggy","tag-high-key-2","tag-marsh","tag-merlin","tag-prairie-subspecies","tag-raptors","tag-snow","tag-snowy","tag-tree","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/merlin-high-key-in-a-tree-mia-mcpherson-8379.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-p1s","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4225,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/01\/27\/merlin-perched-in-a-tree-friday-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":96190,"position":0},"title":"Merlin Perched In A Tree ~ Friday Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 27, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Merlins are winter visitors in the Salt Lake Valley so I have just a few more weeks to attempt photographing them. Merlins are used to be called \"pigeon hawks\" because their shape and flight patterns are similar to pigeons.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"High key Merlin, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/merlin-mia-mcpherson-8382.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/merlin-mia-mcpherson-8382.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/merlin-mia-mcpherson-8382.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/merlin-mia-mcpherson-8382.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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time I can see and photograph two falcon species in a single day is a great day and yesterday I photographed a Prairie Merlin and several American Kestrels.","rel":"","context":"In "American Kestrels"","block_context":{"text":"American Kestrels","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/falcons\/american-kestrel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Prairie Merlin perched in a tree, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/merlin-female-adult-perched-mia-mcpherson-2200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/merlin-female-adult-perched-mia-mcpherson-2200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/merlin-female-adult-perched-mia-mcpherson-2200.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Merlins are already hard to find in the state of Utah but because of our climate crisis they could become even more difficult to locate or they might even disappear from the state altogether.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Merlin with prey at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/merlin-marsh-with-prey-mia-mcpherson-3052.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/merlin-marsh-with-prey-mia-mcpherson-3052.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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