Hi All,
Those of you who are Cayuga Bird Club members may have seen an article in
January’s newsletter that was based on my quick report (below) about the Ithaca
Christmas Bird Count compilation on the evening of January first. I gave the
editor permission to use my report, with which he rapidly completed and sent
out the newsletter later that same evening after a long day of birding. My name
was on the article, but I did not write the paragraph which incorrectly stated
that there were no Kestrels reported. However, I did hear some comments from
the audience about the numbers of small falcons, as was mentioned in that
paragraph.
As with many species this year, there was a low count of 2 American Kestrels.
Then the next species on the list, the closely related Merlin, had one of the
very few record high counts, a total of 5 birds. Lab Director John Fitzpatrick
recalled when Kestrels were common and Merlins were a rarity.
It was at least ironic to see this contrast. Were we seeing two population
trend lines crossing as Kestrels decline and Merlins increase? If so, what is
the relationship?
Here’s my thoughts: First, it’s hard to draw firm conclusions from such small
numbers. But Ithaca’s trends may well show up on other counts.
Second, perhaps even those numbers need scrutiny. There were 2 Kestrels
reported, 1 from Area 4 and 1 from Area 5. I think I heard Area 5 Leader Sandy
Podulka say that their Kestrel was from Boiceville. I take that to mean
Boiceville Rd, which extends less than a mile south from Slaterville Rd. The
border between Areas 4 & 5 is Slaterville Rd. I don’t know the location for the
Kestrel from Area 4, but my guess is that a winter territory for a single
Kestrel might extend from the farm fields and hedges along Boiceville Rd north
into the southeast corner of Area 4 where there is similar habitat along
Midline, Slaterville, and Ellis Hollow Roads, allowing a single Kestrel to get
counted in Area 4 & Area 5.
The Merlin reports were: 1 from Area 5, 1 from area 7, 2 from area 8, and 1
from area 9. The only Merlin sighting location I know is Allan Treman State
Marine Park for Area 7, where a Merlin might easily have its next stop or
previous stop be across the Inlet in Area 8 or farther north along East Shore
in Area 9. I suspect that the daily movements of a Merlin might cover a larger
area than those of a Kestrel. Again, I wonder if 5 Merlins is an overcount.
I am curious where all the Kestrels and Merlins were reported, so I welcome
that information.
Even if the numbers get adjusted, I would not be surprised if the local
Kestrel population is decreasing while the Merlin population is increasing, but
I don’t see how they would be directly related.
Kestrels are birds of open countryside. Kestrels scan fields and weedy
roadsides by perching on a wire or snag or hovering against the wind, then drop
to the ground upon prey such as invertebrates or small mammals. I think the
trends are for farms to convert hayfields to corn, for hedgerows and snags to
be torn out, and for farms to be converted to suburbs, which would all be less
suitable for Kestrels. Kestrels need a tree cavity or a nest box for nesting,
and suburbanites are more apt to cut down a tree with a hole in it than to
erect a nest box. I have also noticed that Kestrels are quite wary of people.
You can drive past one on a wire, but they will flee if you try to take a
photo. So, it would not surprise me that Kestrels are getting harder to find in
the Ithaca area, where residential development is booming, and I suspect this
is a widespread trend.
Merlins used to be only a rare migrant here. They were birds that bred across
Canada and wintered along the south and east coasts of the US. We see these
Merlins accompanying (and trying to eat) the southbound shorebird migration at
Montezuma NWR. But a few years ago Merlins branched out into a new habitat for
them across NYS: residential areas. Merlins chase small birds for a living, and
House Sparrows are a good food source, although other songbirds are fine, too.
Falcons don’t actually build nests, but Merlins will wait for Crows to build a
nest high in a tree, then chase off the crows and use the nest to raise their
own young. And in my experience these Merlins are very tolerant of people
watching them. Quite a few nests have been documented in the county, so it’s
not a surprise that we are regularly finding multiple Merlins on the Christmas
Bird Count.
Kestrels, like other grassland birds, are in decline. Merlins, adapting to
human residential areas, have increased and may continue to do so. But I don’t
think the Merlins are directly competing with and supplanting the Kestrels,
other than taking advantage of the way people change the habitat.
That’s my take. I welcome comments from others as well as news about the
locations of Merlins and Kestrels found on the count. Thanks.
- - Dave Nutter
> On Jan 1,
