Glad you saw the birds, Peggy. For general information and clarification of a few things that the neighbors told you:

Merlins eat predominantly House Sparrows. Northern Cardinals are less likely to be caught, perhaps because there are fewer around and they don’t flock in early summer; but occasionally one gets taken. I have seen remains of only one Northern Cardinal in three years of nest-watching. Fledglings of other birds are vulnerable, but urban Merlins are ambush hunters and rarely go to the ground. They rip through the low canopy, scattering flocks of sparrows and dropping on one from above. The force alone kills the bird, and the head is snipped off immediately. Rarely does a Merlin land with an intact bird unless giving it to the young to learn to prepare for eating. This does make ID of prey a challenge. I would like to document anything anyone sees them take, but please get photos. Check the sidewalks and gutters. The sidewalks are littered with House Sparrow feathers, heads, and even entire birds dropped by the young. They will also hunt bats. 

Merlins have only been known to nest here in Columbus for three years. They do not tend to choose the same mate from year to year. The first year they nested in a different neighborhood about a mile away. Last year it was in a private property across from a library. That house was sold and the trees removed well after the birds dispersed from the area. They have never nested on local library property. There was, however, a nest in Sandusky last year that was on library property. Those trees are still intact. That nest fledged only one. 

Merlins don’t build nests; very rarely do they use the same nest twice. Generally they seek out old American Crow nests if nesting in urban areas, and these are mostly in Norway or Blue Spruce, occasionally White Pine. This year’s choice of an old Cooper’s Hawk nest in a Ginkgo was far from typical. 

The Cooper’s Hawk is not nearby this year. Merlins will not tolerate any Hawks remotely near their territory and will very effectively drive them out. A Red-tailed Hawk nested several blocks away but much earlier in the season. Hawks may wander through, but the adult Merlins drive them out immediately. It is entertaining to witness these falcons in action, and it is why they are popular with falconers. 

This is all VERY new to Ohio, and urbanization of these boreal nesters has only been happening for a decade in neighboring states. There is still much to learn. Merlins are just the latest of the species to adapt to suburban settings, following the now well-established American Crows and Cooper's Hawks into areas offering used nests and rich with House Sparrows, small rodents, and feeder birds. There are probably 4-5 Merlin nests in Ohio this year, based upon ebird reports of pairs; but nests have yet to be found. 

The bulk of Merlins still migrate north in April. I suspect the fledglings of the last two years’ nests may be lingering and not migrating, so singles may be around. Most of the ones we see in the winter in local cemeteries have migrated into Ohio and overwinter here. If a pair is seen beyond April, especially if they are vocalizing, look for a nest. Meanwhile, these birds will be around for weeks and are still able to be studied and enjoyed as they master flight snd hunting. Feel free to contact me with questions or observations. 

Leslie Sours
Columbus



Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 3, 2021, at 2:00 PM, WANG PEGGY <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> The family of Merlins is still hanging around the same general area but they are more dispersed. I walked around the block checking different trees and listening for them. This paid off with decent looks a few times incl a food drop off. I saw two on the roof of the house on the corner when I first got there. One of the neighbors was kind enough to let a few of us into their backyard so we could get better looks at 2 birds. This after watching one of Merlins take a mourning dove baby in their yard.  
> 
> Just before I left I saw one bird that I think was the adult fly into a catalpa tree causing much commotion and bird alarm noises, then it flew out with what I think was a Cardinal. It brought it into the big maple in the front yard to eat but of course was mostly obscured behind a branch but it was still pretty cool to watch. 
> 
> The neighbors are quite chatty and I found out that the merlins used to nest on the library property but the library cut those trees down so they nested in the ginkgo tree this year.  Apparently it’s an old Cooper’s Hawk‘s nest and the Cooper’s moved down a couple blocks. 
> 
> Peggy Wang 
> Granville 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> ______________________________________________________________________
> 
> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
> Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
> 
> 
> You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
> listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
> Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.


You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]