Date: 8/2/26 8:25 pm From: basquebirder via groups.io <allaboutbirds...> Subject: [pen-bird] 'Black' Merlin Colma Creek Mouth 08/02
Hi all,
This evening while checking out the shorebird scene at Colma Creek mouth, a Merlin bombed over the estuary heading west, flushing all my shorebirds for a little bit. In the field, I noted how dark the bird appeared but I didn't feel confident calling it a 'Black' until I got home and reviewed some photos and read up on differentiating 'suckleyi' from 'columbiarus'. There was just a 'Black' Merlin reported in the Central Valley earlier this week, which constitutes a very early record, and could be dispersal tied to the extensive wildfires in the Pacific NW right now.
Of local interest was a Great Egret, which I've only seen 2-3 times here before, and my first juvenile Western Sandpipers and a single juvenile Willet.
