Date: 7/28/26 9:14 pm From: ed pandolfino via groups.io <erpfromca...> Subject: Re: [centralvalleybirds] Dark Merlin at Yolo Bypass Pass 7/28
Yes, Georgia, this is a remarkable date for Merlin in the Central Valley. And this looks like a very good candidate for a "Pacific" Merlin (F. c. suckleyi). In a study that Ed Harper and I published a few years ago (doi.org/10.64555/edr86h97), we found the ratio of the width of the pale tail bands to the dark ones to be very good field mark for this subspecies and your bird shows a large ratio.
Great find.
Ed Pandolfino
On Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at 08:17:40 PM PDT, Georgia Coleman via groups.io <gwc083...> wrote:
Hi all,
As Emily Jones and I were leaving Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area this morning (7/28) we came across a Merlin! I'm not originally from here, so not sure about timing, but it seems a bit early for one to make an appeareance in the valley? Interestingly, it was a really dark individual. I'm not sure if it can confidently be identified as the black/pacific subspecies (or just a really dark taiga... or an intergrade..) but figured folks might be interested. Here is our checklist with photos for anyone who would like to take a gander:https://ebird.org/checklist/S377537149
Best,Georgia ColemanGalt
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Georgia ColemanColumbia, MO/Galt, CA
