I took a brief respite from the Massachusetts-based project and did a little birding while I was up in Maine for a friend’s bachelor party. I spent just a few brief hours in Baxter State Park; a massive, unspoiled chunk of land accessible only by dirt roads. At a location called Nesowadnehunk Campground, I was lucky enough to have a wild encounter with some tiny falcons.

I left our rental lake house in Millinocket, ME, just after dawn and drove a half hour to Baxter’s front gate. The birding hotspot I was aiming for ended up being some 17 miles into the massive park, and with a 20 mph limit on the stone and dirt roads, it took the better part of 90 minutes before I even got out of the car. When I finally arrived, I was greeted by a wide open field, dotted with evergreens, but sparse on birds. A pair of Tree Swallows passed overhead, and small packs of Gray Jays darted loudly between pines. Then - off in the distance, in the only needle-less deciduous tree in sight, I spied a small bird perched on a branch. As I slowly approached, I became more and more confident that it was a raptor, albeit a small one.

As I edged closer, I became more and more sure of my instinct - and soon I was confident enough to say it was a Taiga Merlin! To my delight as I approached - that one bird on a branch quickly became three.

As I rounded the corner of the perch, a fourth Merlin appeared, tucked in near the trunk!

The Merlins were calm as I photographed, seemingly unbothered by the rare human interaction in this remote corner of the earth. They chirped a shrill call from time to time, but mostly just kept their eyes on the fields of Nesowadnehunk. The quantity of birds present led me to believe that this was a family group - a pack of juveniles perhaps. As I ducked around a patch of trees to make for a small clearing, a loud series of calls went off. As I entered the clearing, I was amazed to find that a fifth Merlin had joined the fray!

An amazing, super lucky number that I’ll likely never see again. I wasn’t sure if any of the birds were parents (Merlins lay clutches of up to 5 eggs), but all in all, it was a thrilling experience. Well worth the long haul into Baxter State Park. As the birds eventually dispersed, I was treated to a close up encounter with what I assume to be a juvenile. Handsome little devil!