Merlin Family 2011

The next few section are of our merlin family that I followed in Barrie, Ontario. It was a real experience that you will follow with me in the pages of this blog. A small falcon that truely stole my heart during this monitoring. The dedication to their young. The young seeing them from little balls of fluff on my first sighting to the first flight and first catch.The way they grew so fast and the way the whole family was dedicated to each other from day one. At first people in the neighborhood hated these birds of prey for taking away their little songbirds. But when I introduced the merlin family to these people and they saw the young for the first time. How the parents worked so hard to care for these little beauties. Their way of thinking came around. And they became very much involved with this family as it grew right to the end when they took to the skies to go south together. I had daily visitors,made new friends and had some great comments on my work. But the best friends I made were the merlins themselves. It was awesome. They taught me and I taught others. I love watching our wildlife friends raising their families. It is a truely touching experience and one that we all can learn from and realize what hard and loving work it is for the adults. Hopefully this family will come back next year to raise another family in this same nest. And if they do. They will be welcomed by all! The first few sections are random photos taken during this time of monitoring this nest. It will then get into the day to day journal of this merlin families adventures. Take note of how the youngs plumage changed so quickly. We think our kids grow up fast. Enjoy.