I was driving east on Rockside Road just east of Broadview Road this afternoon when I saw a small raptor on a tall tree along the road. I was able to pull in to the small business park and use my binoculars to get a really good look. It turned out to be a Merlin. 
This must be a good tree to perch on. Yesterday I saw a red-shouldered hawk on the same tree. It flew off to join a second red-shouldered hawk a short distance away. 
I am seeing pairs of red-tailed hawks soaring in the Cuyahoga Valley, too. A couple of weeks ago I was only seeing single birds. Spring is in the air!
On a non-birding note: I saw a Morning Cloak Butterfly a couple of days ago in Bedford Reservation. It was really nice to see a butterfly in March. A naturalist from the Cleveland Metroparks told me that these butterflies overwinter in Ohio. What tough little critters!

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