Hello and Goodbye To Swainson's Hawks and a Merlin

Most Swainson's Hawks leave northern Utah by the end of September so I was surprised and excited to see one on September 28th. I had a feeling it would be the last Swainson's Hawk I'd see until their return from Argentina in the spring. It was a juvenile that will look a bit different when it returns next year. I held a one-way conversation with the bird when I said, "Hello and goodbye. I'll see you in the spring!" I was glad that my last 2013 encounter with a Swainson's Hawk was a close one. The bird patiently posed atop a power pole in an agricultural area on the south end of Utah Lake.

Juvenile Swainson's Hawk Utah County, UT

Juvenile Swainson's Hawk Utah County, UT

Juvenile Swainson's Hawk Utah County, UT

Later in the morning as we were heading home Eric and I were talking about our success in seeing target birds for the day. Eric had high hopes of seeing a Sabine's Gull near Lincoln Point. That was a stretch since he'd never seen one in Utah County in over ten years of active birding. However, he had used his bird sense to determine the best place to find one should there be one in Utah County. Well, we did locate his Sabine's Gull and two less rare gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gull and an early Herring Gull, but we had not gotten my target bird for the day, a Merlin. It was a little early to be seeing our winter raptors, but a couple of Merlins had been seen in Utah in recent days.

Just as we were heading home I caught a glimpse of a falcon perched on a snag near the Spanish Fork River and River Lane. We stopped, took a look through the scope, and realized we had a Merlin in our sights. We u-turned and prepared to take a distant photo when the falcon flew right over our heads. We chased it and captured a few photos as it was flying circles and soaring  higher and higher in the sky. Swallows were forming a united attack in an effort to chase away the bird-eating falcon. I was thinking, "Hello, Merlin!" when I first saw it, but that was soon followed by a goodbye as it soared out of sight.

These are not great photos, but they represent a typical view of a soaring falcon. The broad dark and thinner light tail bands distinguish Merlins from the more typical American Kestrels that are seen throughout Utah. The prominent wrists and pointed wing tips are also characteristic of falcons.

Merlin Being Mobbed by Swallows in Palmyra, UT

Merlin Being Mobbed by Swallows in Palmyra, UT

Merlin Being Mobbed by Swallows in Palmyra, UT

Merlin Being Mobbed by Swallows in Palmyra, UT