MERLIN -- Falco columbarius
This cache is placed in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Chequamegon Bay Birding and Nature Festival, May 19-21, 2016, an annual event held at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, Ashland, Wisconsin.
The cache honors the Merlin. A rather small falcon, compact and fast-flying, the Merlin is a common breeder across the northern forests of North America and Eurasia. It feeds mostly on small birds, capturing them in mid-air in rapid pursuit. The Merlin is generally found in wild places, but since about 1960 it has become a common urban bird in several towns on the northern prairies; there it nests and remains to winter, relying on a steady supply of House Sparrows as prey.
Most Merlins migrate, some northern birds reaching South America. Those of Pacific Northwest (race suckleyi) are mostly permanent residents. Some prairie birds (race richardsonii) have become permanent residents in cities on northern plains during recent decades, while others there still migrate.
Songs and Calls are high, loud cackle, also klee-klee-klee like an American Kestrel, but usually silent.
Source: http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/merlin
The logbook must be signed, otherwise there is no proof of your success. Bring Your Own Pencil.
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This cache placed by a member of U.N.G.A.
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