Bob McGuire described hearing Merlin along Cascadilla Creek between Aurora and Tioga on 3 May. Since then I have made 6 visits to find the nest because I wanted to monitor it and determine nesting success. I heard/saw Merlins on 5 visits in the the block between Aurora and Tioga. On 5 May, I watched very noisy Fish Crows, about 4, involved in taking small branches to top of tall pine between Tioga and Cayuga on north side of the creek. I saw Fish Crow on a few, subsequent visits. Twice I saw Merlin fly into spruce near corner of Aurora St. and Cascadilla Creek. A stick nest is visible in top of spruce from Aurora and I was sure that I had found the nest. On Sunday, I visited the area between Aurora and Tioga with Stefan Karkuff (who says hello). As we walked up to the supposed Merlin nest, I casually said there was a Fish Crow on the tip of the tall pine and emphatically pointed upstream and said there is where the Merlin nest is located. Stefan said , John, that bird on top of the pine is a Merlin.
Today (Mon) I watched the Merlins exchange at the nest and the male settled in as the female flew off. Definitive sign of incubation, probably the second or third day, given time to lay the complete clutch. In this case this is a real example of alchemy and I really am not crazy. Either the Fish Crows abandoned the nest or the Merlins drove them away. How could a pair of Merlin drive off 4 Fish Crow? The nest can be easily watched from the bridge over Cascadilla Creek looking downstream on the north side of the creek in a tall White Pine. John -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
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