Merlins sighted at Echo Lake

Photo by Tom Downer

Posted at Of Paramount Importance  "This season, rare visitors to the Seattle area were sighted at Echo Lake in Shoreline and the Pinehurst Neighborhood in North Seattle. Merlins have been documented in both areas this year, and it is considered an exciting and rare urban wildlife sighting here by the birding community.  Merlins are raptors, a type of small falcon which utilize tall trees for their nesting and habitat."

Photo by Tom Downer

Thanks to SAN reader Tom Downer for these photos of the Merlins at Echo Lake.

Tom says, "These photos were taken on July 10 at 189th and Wallingford.  It appears they have left the Echo Lake neighborhood.  I last saw them on August 4th at Shoreline Park (just north of the Shoreline Center and Shoreline Pool)."

Audubon member Barbara Deihl says "Tom Downer's two shots are of the adult parents - the one facing us in both shots is the female. The male has brought her prey, which you can see in his 2nd shot."

 

Cooper's Hawk. Photo by Melissa Carrera

Barbara says that Melissa Carrera's bird is is an immature Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk juvenile - often mistaken for Merlins.  Melissa's photo was taken in March of this year at NE 185th and 3rd Ave. She says "We have seen it 5 or 6 times since December, as recently as Sunday, August 8th."

If anyone has photos of the Echo Lake Merlins, cormorants, or eagles, please send to Tips@ShorelineAreaNews.com.

We are also interested in other wildlife, such as beavers, turtles, frogs, raccoons, opossums, rats, mice, squirrels, chipmunks.