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Historic Status

History: In the state prior to 1900, only one man claimed to have found the nest and eggs of a Merlin, or Pigeon Hawk, as it was then known. That man, James Gatley, aka The Hermit of Hyde Park, brought it out of the forest with the parents included (Minot 1877), but ornithologists remained dubious. Reginald Heber Howe and Glover Morrill Allen in 1901 stated that “Notwithstanding statements to the contrary, there is no authentic record of the nesting of this bird in Massachusetts.” Forbush echoed these sentiments in the mid-1920s (Forbush 1927). It maintained its status as a migrant and winter lingerer well into the twentieth century.

Atlas 1 Distribution

Atlas 1: At the time of Atlas 1, the boreal breeding population of Merlins was still far from making a breeding landfall in Massachusetts, even though the species was well known as a migrant and occasional winter resident.

Atlas 2 Distribution and Change

Atlas 2: The first-ever Confirmed instance of breeding Merlins in the Commonwealth didn’t come until the second Atlas period when a nest was found on Martha’s Vineyard. Slowly but surely, more reports of breeding Merlins trickled in for the remainder of the second Atlas period. The Marble Valleys hosted 4 blocks with evidence of breeding Merlins, including one Confirmation. In the Connecticut River Valley, there was a Confirmed nest in Northampton and Probable breeding activity just one block south. Though Merlins were as close to absent as they could be in the eastern half of the state, the Confirmation on Martha’s Vineyard and a Possible block on Nantucket indicate that coastal areas may be further colonized by Merlins in the coming years.

Atlas 1 Map

Atlas 2 Map

Atlas Change Map