Merlin

Earlier this week, we got a female Merlin in for rehab.

This is the first Merlin that I had seen, in the wild or otherwise. Perhaps its because I work with falcons on a a daily basis but it was a beautiful bird. The long toes, nicely notched beak and the fun feather patterns. 

The people that brought the Merlin in found her after she hit a window, most likely chasing prey. After we examined her, the bird appeared to have some wing injury. I put a body wrap on the bird (the white bandage you see in the photos) so she couldn't move her wing. The good news is after a bit of rehab at The Raptor Center, this bird has a good chance for release.