Merlin
Family: Falconidae
Average annual sightings on Hawk Hill: 192; Hawk Hill sightings peak late September through mid-November
Total banded by GGRO as of 2018: 817
ID BASICS
Size: length 12 inches; wingspan 25 inches; jay size
Key Field Marks: small dark falcon (compare kestrel); faint or no moustache; dark tail—sometimes with thin light bands
Flight: very quick, steady flapping, often seen as a dark stubby-headed bird flapping by; does not hover; soars on flat wings with tail slightly fanned
(Average annual sightings based on 2006-2017 data; 2010 and 2013 data not included due to partial seasons)
GGRO volunteers photograph a Merlin after banding
Phoebe Parker Shames/GGRO Volunteer
A Merlin jets past Hawk Hill
George Eade/GGRO Volunteer
Merlin
Jeff Robinson/GGRO Volunteer