By Denise Richardson
What is white, brown, black, blue-gray and buff, has a hooked beak and flies with rapid wing-beats?
Birdwatchers in Cooperstown who saw a pair with such characteristics said at first they were mystified. The birds didn't fit the description of any known local raptors, according to a news release from the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society.
Skilled birders from the organization called in for help identified them as Merlins, a type of falcon, and said the sighting is the first known during breeding-season recorded in Otsego County.
Jessie Ravage and Ellen Baker found the small raptors vocalizing and interacting in early May, the release said.
The birds may be seen anywhere in the village, DOAS officials said. Though the birds tolerate residential areas, officials cautioned against getting close to avoid stressing the birds. The Merlins have displayed breeding behavior but no nest site has been identified, the birders said.
Breeding-season reports of Merlins have been rare in New York state, the release said, and the first documented nesting occurred in the Adirondacks in 1992. Since then, these so-called "bullet birds" have spread across upstate.
While Merlins are thought of as birds of the wild north, small numbers have started moving into towns in recent years, according to the release. A map of Merlin breeding activity from 2000-2005 can be seen at the NYS Breeding Bird Atlas at www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/bba/, the release said.
Merlins are small, dark, powerful falcons, DOAS officials said. Their length approximates that of an American Kestrel "" a falcon commonly seen in the area _ though they are considerably heavier than their better-known cousins, they said.
Females and young have similar markings _ dark brown backs and a streaked body, officials said, and adult males are not as dark, with a lighter belly and a slate-gray back. All Merlins have a checkerboard pattern under the wings and a dark tail with narrow white band, they said, and they lack the distinct mustache mark found on many falcons.
Birders said other factors include that falcons do not build nests and commonly use previous-year's crow nests. Small birds are their main prey. In villages, they are thought to mostly eat introduced species such as European starlings and house sparrows. They also prey on insects, especially dragonflies. Merlins can be very vocal, and recently fledged Merlins beg loudly for food.
Gerrianne Carillo, a Milford resident, took photographs of one of the Merlins on May 23. She said she hadn't ever seen a Merlin or taken pictures of a bird with prey. She waited about a half-hour in poor weather before the bird landed on a tree limb.
``It was a beautiful bird,'' Carillo said. ``On so many fronts, it was exciting.''
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology website said the Merlin is a small falcon of northern forests and prairies that is becoming a regular breeder in urban areas and may be increasing in numbers. Its size ranges from 9 to 12 inches, with a wing span of 21 to 27 inches.
