Merlin, Green Island Wildlife Management Area, Iowa
During a search for some Short-eared Owls earlier this week I didn’t come back totally empty-handed. While slowly driving down the gravel road this merlin posed nicely in a tree next to the road. All what I had to do was to lower the side window of the car a little more, aim the lens at the bird, and press the shutter release button of the camera. It isn’t always that easy to make a click and definitely better than going home without a picture on the memory card…😊
Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z TC-1.4x, @ 840mm, 1/1000s, f/9, ISO 1000, image slightly cropped
The identification of the bird was changed 02/13/2026 by the author.