By Alyssa Nyberg, Preserve Coordinator & Ecologist at Kankakee Sands
Magic has returned to the prairie! For many people, December is the most magical time of the year – holidays, foods, families, long-starry nights and beautiful snow-covered landscapes. How fitting that this is also the point in the year when the merlins return to Kankakee Sands, and now is the time to see this enchanting falcon!
Ten years ago, when I first wrote about merlins (Falco columbarius) being seen at Kankakee Sands, by the time the article hit the press the merlins had already left the area. Drat! I’m happy to report that merlins are flying the friendly skies of the Kankakee Sands prairie as I type, so come for a visit soon to witness the magic for yourself!
Merlins are fast fliers, so trying to identify this 10-13 inch bird in flight might be a little tricky. When perched you will note that it is about the same size as a stout blue jay. Males and females are dimorphic, the males having gray head and back feathers and the females having brown head and back feathers. Both have a white chin, mottled white chest and barred tail feathers.
Merlins are extremely strong and fast flyers. They are known to fly thirty miles per hour during long migratory flights, and even faster when chasing their dinner. Their aerial swiftness allows them to surprise, overtake and catch their prey while in flight. A merlin’s diet includes small species of birds, as well as dragonflies, rodents, bats and reptiles.
Being tree nesters, the open woodlands and forests of the northern United States and Canada are where you are most likely to find merlins in the spring, summer and fall. In the winter, merlins occupy the grasslands and coasts in the southern states, Mexico and central America to hunt the wide open, treeless skies. It is during changing of the seasons that merlins migrate through the Midwest and eastern U.S., which explains why we are seeing them now at Kankakee Sands.
Because merlins breed in the northern states and Canada, we aren’t likely to witness their complicated courtship behavior in Indiana. That is too bad because during courtship, the male puts on spectacular flight displays, which include such aerial acrobatics as steep dives, twists, glides, rolls and fluttering. A merlin’s call, however, is something that we do hear in Indiana. The call is a high-pitched, loud, repetitive “ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-keee” cackle of a call.
We are thrilled that the Efroymson Prairies of Kankakee Sands is a migratory stopover for merlins, and for many other bird species as well. When Kankakee Sands was being planned nearly 20 years ago, one of the goals of the project was to be a migratory stop-over for birds. Success!
Kankakee Sands is free and open to the public for every day of the year from sunrise to sunset. It’s highly likely that during your visit, you may see the state endangered marsh hawk, short-eared owl, and rough legged hawk.
Should you want to have a supported experience on the prairie, consider joining us for an upcoming hike on the prairie – Hike on the Holidays on Thursday, December 24 from 10 am to 11:30 am or a New Years Ramble on Wednesday, December 31 from noon to 3 pm central time. For more information about these two events, visit Friends-of-Sand.com/calendar-of-events or visit nature.org/events.
As the days continue to get colder, the merlins will be leaving our area in search of warmer weather. But they certainly leave a trail of magic on the prairie that we invite you to experience.
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The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands is an 8,400-acre prairie and savanna habitat in Northwest Indiana, open every day of the year for public enjoyment. It’s an exciting year for Kankakee Sands, as we are making major improvements to popular areas within the preserve. If you plan to visit, please check our Facebook page to see if any of the areas you want to see will be impacted by the construction. For more information about Kankakee Sands, visit www.nature.org/KankakeeSands or call the office at 219-285-2184.
Friends of the Sands 