Merlin

I just saw the coolest thing. A merlin had caught a morning dove and had it on the ground in my back yard. The merlin was not that much bigger than the dove and was standing on it and plucking feathers out of it. The dove was occasionally struggling, but the merlin would just shift and hold it down again. I briefly struggled with whether to attempt to give the dove a chance to get away or let the merlin have it's meal. I decided the merlin deserved it's meal, but it was moot anyway. Something startled the merlin and it took off at high speed, taking the dove with it. I've seen merlins around here before. I thought it might be a prairie falcon the first time I saw one, but they're small, about the size of a jay. Very cool little birds. Obviously I did not take this picture, but this is what they look like.