CORNWALL, Ontario – In a release to the media, the City of Cornwall says that it expects the Merlin Falcons nesting on the corner of McConnell Ave. and Ninth St.
“After a review of the environment, in conjunction with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and their falcon expert, it is expected that a family of Merlin Falcons will relocate in six to ten days,” the City of Cornwall press release reads. “Until that time, the City of Cornwall is asking pedestrians to use caution when travelling in the area.”
This comes about two weeks after the Cornwall Community Police Service (CCPS) reported that pedestrians were being harassed by the birds.
The City has erected barricades and signs in the area of the nest warning of the danger.
According to allaboutbirds.org Merlin’s are migratory birds that typically pass through our region onto their breeding grounds further North, so it is unusual to have a Merlin breeding so far South.
“Merlins are small, fierce falcons that use surprise attacks to bring down small songbirds and shorebirds,” states the bird’s profile on allaboutbirds.org. “They are powerful fliers, but you can tell them from larger falcons by their rapid wingbeats and overall dark tones. Medieval falconers called them “lady hawks,” and noblewomen used them to hunt Sky Larks. Merlin populations have largely recovered from twentieth-century declines, thanks to a ban on the pesticide DDT and their ability to adapt to life around towns and cities.”
