Date: 10/28/25 1:41 pm From: Roy Adolphson <roydjoy47...> Subject: [ia-bird] 4 Merlins at Glendale
Last week I was seeing 2 Merlins in the time before and after sunset at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines. On Sunday (Oct 26) three were seen at the same time between 6:02 & 6:09 pm (ss 6:16), one each in Block 20 (the spruce with the forked top), Block 33E (the group of five spruces), and Block 37 (an English oak with a few dead branches at the top). The one in Block 37 left at 6:09, but the others stayed on their perches until after sunset. One appeared in Block 16 for a double sighting with Block 20 between 6:25 & 6:29. Then yesterday (Oct 27, ss 6:15)) FOUR were seen at the same time between 6:07 & 6:11 in Block 20, Block 32B (a tall spruce between a couple other conifers), Block 37, and Block 38 (an English oak with the upper half dead). All but 32B had vacated by 6:12, but one made a brief appearance in Block 21 (the spruce in the NE corner) at 6:19.
I offer these details to show that the Merlins tend to move around a bit and it's hard to tell where they go sometimes. Lately they have also utilized perches in Block J (a skinny, scrawny spruce), Block 24A (a tall spruce next to the road), Block 27 (an Amur cork tree), Block 15 (a tall spruce next to 2 maples), and another spruce in Block 20.
