Merlin in the Yard

Canon 7D using a 100-400mm lens. Settings were f/6.3, 1/400 sec at ISO-400. Image is 100% crop as shot.

I had been running late for work when I heard the call of an unfamiliar bird followed by the cawing of unsettled Crows. Looking out every window in my house I finally spotted a Merlin with a Mourning Dove right in my backyard! Dropping all thoughts of work, I watched the Merlin for several minutes as it worked on defeathering its catch. Eventually it moved to a tree in a neighboring yard. Gaining permission from my neighbor, I crept behind a bush closer to the tree. For this image I had quickly peeked up above the bushes and snapped this, my very last frame before finally leaving for work. I was over an hour late that day and missed a meeting, but it was absolutely worth it to spend my morning with a Merlin.