The Merlin by Richard Sale

It only takes a glance at the front cover to realise that The Merlin is not part of an established monograph series but, as befuddling as it is that any book could be printed with such a dreadful dustjacket design, here is one of those occasional lessons in the importance of literally not judging a book by its cover. The almost antiquated appearance of the outer shell shouldn't matter but it is a shame that some potential readers may assume the content might be similarly unprofessional, as this is far from the case. Clearly a work born of profound knowledge and love of Merlin, Richard Sale has done a commendable job of plugging a gaping hole in the literature with his self-published examination of this truly enigmatic falcon and favourite among birders and falconers alike.

Gathering a wide range of information and studies from various points across Merlin's range, the trap of focussing too heavily on just one or two of the most familiar forms is avoided as well as is possible. Indeed, it is fascinating to learn from the book just how different the species can be in character, appearance and ecology across its range and no doubt many readers will find the well-covered urban Merlins of Saskatoon especially intriguing. Following an outline of how the Merlin sits among the falcons in general, the nine races are introduced before the species is detailed in terms of its diet (who'd have thought prey as large as a Barrow's Goldeneye could be tackled?), hunting methods, consumption and energy, breeding behaviour, movements, survival and population, as well as a look at significant relationships it shares with other species. Some sections truly do make for absorbing reading, after all Merlin makes for an exciting topic and it is written ably, but inevitably there are also points which may become a touch heavy for the general reader as statistics and scientific language falter the flow of the prose.

All birdwatchers, particularly those with a penchant for birds of prey, will delight in the generous scattering of mostly high-quality, good-sized colour images of various races of Merlin (potentially acting as a handy reference for vagrant-hunters), with a few depicting prey items and habitats used by the species. Rather clunky-looking boxes are sandwiched within the text, providing extra nuggets of interest which complement the main content and aid its understanding. The plentiful and varied figures are generally well-presented and clear, visualising an array of data such as on flight paths, migration, time budgets and egg contamination levels to name a few.

In The Merlin, Sale strikes a skilful balance between conveying the wonder and character of the subject with truly valuable and rigorous scientific material. There are a few imperfections to be found but they're pretty menial and are very comfortably covered by the slack that must be cut for such an exhaustive self-published work. If you have any interest in the lives of raptors, this is an instant essential to your collection.