There is a dead tree near the Don River at Beechwood which has a merlin sitting in it about one in every twenty times I look.

It was there this morning.

Although the occasional Merlin is seen in winter here, most migrate to the southern USA, Central American and northern South America.

Merlins eat mostly birds, typically catching them in midair during high-speed attacks. They often specialize on hunting a couple of the most abundant species around; prey are generally small to medium-sized birds in the 1–2 ounce range. Common prey include Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Bohemian Waxwing, Dickcissel, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, and other shorebirds. (allaboutbirds.com)

Other life:

Some close-up botany:

Today’s group:

NATURE POETRY

The thirsty earth soaks up the rain,
And drinks, and gapes for drink again.
The plants suck in the earth and are
With constant drinking fresh and fair.      – Abraham Cowley (1618–67)

Miles Hearn