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Merlins at St. Joseph New Cemetery
Theme: Merlins
Location: St. Joseph New Cemetery (Delhi/West Price Hill)
Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023, 4:00 PM
Meet: In the New St. Joseph Cemetery Parking Lot, reached by the Pedretti Avenue (See directions below)
Leader: Leader: Bill Zimmermann, (513) 708-8117, wtvz@icloud.com
The focus of this late afternoon field trip is to see the wintering Merlins at St. Joseph New Cemetery. The Merlin, a species of falcon (Falco columbarius), is generally very rare in our region of the country. Merlins have always been casual to rare migrants through our region. There are no local breeding records. They breed widely throughout Canada and Alaska and in a few of the most northern tier of the lower 48 states. There is also a recent nesting record from Columbus. Prior to the 1990s Merlins were considered accidental winter visitors to Ohio. Since then, Merlins have begun wintering in small numbers throughout Ohio and adjacent states. These birds are still generally rare, but in certain locations they can be regularly found in small numbers. Most of these wintering Merlins are found in urban or semi-urban areas, especially cemeteries. One theory for this is that the habitat generally found in cemeteries (semi-open park land with many scattered deciduous and coniferous trees) replicates the preferred habitat found on their breeding grounds. During the day these falcons range widely in pursuit of their prey (other birds) but return to their favored roosts before nightfall. This is the best time of the day to look for them.
Bill Zimmerman, our trip leader, is a well rounded naturalist. You may know Bill from the several ASO fish collecting field trips on the Little Miami River he has led for us. Bill is also an avid and skilled birder and has taken a particular interest in the wintering Merlin populations in the Greater Cincinnati area. Bill has conducted a local winter Merlin census over the past 8 years. While Merlins have been found in several area cemeteries and other locations during that period, St. Joseph New Cemetery has been the most consistent spot to find wintering Merlins in good numbers. On the last census conducted this past January 26th, six Merlins were found at this location. This is a tremendous concentration for this generally rare bird and certainly a regional record.
So on this field trip, Bill will lead us around St Joseph to look for these awesome falcons. The trip will be fairly short. We will meet in the New St. Joseph parking lot at 4:00 PM and walk the grounds until dusk, around 5:30 or so. The Merlins generally perch out in the open during this time frame and can provide observers with pretty good looks. There are never any guarantees when dealing with birds, but Bill feels pretty confident that we will find at least a Merlin or two.
To see these birds well you will need binoculars. It is also winter, so dress accordingly regardless of the forecast. This trip will be mostly on foot, but walking will be at a slow birding pace. Restrooms are not available, but there are plenty of nearby businesses. If you have any questions feel free to contact Bill.
Directions: I highly recommend doing a Google Maps search for St. Joseph New Cemetery. The cemetery’s website listed below also has an area map on its home page. The cemetery’s address is 4500 Foley Road. This is on the border of Delhi and West Price Hill. The main Cemetery entrance where we will meet is located on Pedretti Avenue, just north of Foley Road.
Visit the St Joseph New Cemetery website link below