I was sitting on my porch watching a White Crowned Sparrow feeding when I noticed it crouch down as if flattening itself on the pavement. Simultaneously, a Merlin shot through between the barn and our car and grabbed the sparrow.  It made a swooshing sound.  It never paused or hesitated.  It was gone as quickly as it had come. I was sitting 20 feet away.  Startling to say the least.  I had not seen the Merlins around the house before.  They are usually in several trees several thousand feet away.  I am wondering now if I should stop feeding the birds.  

On a happier note, a pair of Killdeers appear to have returned to the farm.  The Barn and Cliff Swallows are back in the barn.  A few Tree Swallows have been back for several weeks but they are usually in the field, now occupied by the Merlins. I saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers in our small wooded pond. And, a Osprey visited the farm from nearby Lake  Fairlee.  

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