Bird of a feather

I saw a merlin in the river valley the other day. 

The merlin (falco columbarius) is our second smallest raptor in the area, the only thing smaller is a kestrel. I have never seen one here before.

But you will have to take my word for it because I didn't have my camera and had to make the capture with my cellphone.

That doesn't work too well.

The merlin is not endangered but it is rare to see one.

I texted Beth and sent her the pic and she told me that I had probably seen an osprey.

I'm like, gimmee a break, I have hundreds of merlin pictures and way more osprey shots and I do know what they look like.

This was a small falcon, but not a kestrel.

Here is a picture of the first merlin I ever got a shot of, up at San Jacinto.

Really lovely little raptors, very distinctive.

Here is a kestrel.

Very different.

And here is an osprey, in case you forgot. Or a pair of them, rather.

I dare say, not even close.

So I stand by what I saw, a merlin. 

I am told that we once had kites in the river valley and when I moved here forty four years ago I knew where there was a golden eagle nest upriver, past Morgan Springs. Can't get up there anymore, everything has been gated off.

I don't have a lot of things that bring me joy anymore. I don't touch my guitar, stopped doing martial arts decades ago and never get to the beach. Stopped playing blackjack and can't afford Hawaii.

Life has got me in a headlock.

One of the things that makes me happy is getting out and taking pictures of birds and I have been so busy trying to survive and have a go of things that I haven't had my camera out in about three months.

I understand that even the birds are worrying about me.

"Where the heck is he?"

We all have to survive, and create joy in our lives. 

Hopefully I will make it back out to my raptors soon.