Home»All Photographs»Raptors»Falcons»Merlins»Lueck's Taiga Merlin: Pre-flight Behaviour

Here is young Taiga Merlin exhibiting pre-flight behaviour. I approached this young fellow in plain sight and he got somewhat wary of my approach. Before a bird of prey flies off he scopes out where he intends to go before he takes flight. This is a good indicator of when the bird will become airborne and when it does take flight it is usually when you have entered its comfort zone. So be prepared to take a burst of shots very soon. A bird of prey has a confidence that is admirable and sometimes they can be surprisingly patient.
This young Merlin was very very cool...cheers...dave.