At 6:30 pm, I found an adult great Back-backed Gull at Kilowatt South, perched among a group of Mallards on a protruding snag north of the boat launch peninsula, looking for all the world as if it belonged there. On another snag along the NH shore was an immature Double-crested Cormorant.
Minutes later a Merlin appeared flying high across the river from the VT side. It suddenly changed course, banked and went into a stoop, then dove on the now-flying cormorant, which made an abrupt and unscheduled plunge into the river to escape the little fighter jet, which was <1/2 the body size and probably weighed ~1/4 as much.________________________
Chris Rimmer
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
PO Box 420 | Norwich, Vermont 05055
802.649.1431 x1
http://vtecostudies.org/
