2002
Merlin (Smyril) Falco columbarius subaesalon
Date Of Issue 23.09.2002
Date Of Issue 23.09.2002
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Merlin (Smyril) Falco columbarius subaesalon
The only bird of prey breeding on the Faroe Islands today is the merlin, but it is thought that the white-tailed eagle bred on the Faroe Islands in former times.
Birds of prey belonging to the falcon family can be recognised in flight by their quite pointy wings and relatively long tails. If you look at a falcon up close, you will notice its rather powerful beak, which has a strong projection called the falcon’s “tooth” right behind the down-facing tip of the upper part of the beak which matches a corresponding notch in the lower part of the beak. The falcon family (Falconidae) includes about 60 different species, distributed almost worldwide. The merlins have been classified into ten or eleven subspecies with a Holarctic circumpolar distribution in boreal and subarctic areas. The merlin subspecies which can be seen on the Faroe Islands, both as a breeding bird and as a migratory bird, is called Falco columbarius subaesalon in Latin, and it also breeds in Iceland and Scotland. In particular it is the long wings of the birds of this subspecies that distinguishes them from the aesalon subspecies which breeds in northern Scandinavia and onwards into Siberia.
Appearance:
The merlin is the smallest of the European species of falcon. Its length is between 25 and 30 cm, and it has a wingspan of 50 to 60 cm. The male and female merlins are very different. The male has a greyish blue back and is rusty brown underneath with distinctive lateral stripes. The back of the female is dark brown and the underside is a pale yellowish brown with distinctive dark brown lateral stripes. The juveniles look like the females until early spring the following year, when they start moulting for the adult plumage, and the greyish blue feathers break through on the backs of the young males. The average weight of the females is 210 g, which means that they are slightly larger and heavier than the males which weigh 50 g less on average.
Distribution and migration:
Today between 25 and 50 merlin pairs breed on the Faroe Islands. The population is now increasing after a steep decline in the middle of the last century. One of the reasons for their current increase is probably the relatively mild winters when many starlings and sparrows do well and thereby provide a good basic diet for the merlins. It is not known for certain, but it is presumed that at least part of the Faroese population consists of non-migratory birds. The Icelandic population totals between 1000 and 2000 pairs, most of which are migratory birds. Many of them pass the Faroe Islands in both spring and autumn when they are on their way to their winter habitats in Ireland, Scotland, England and northern France. This means that some of the merlins staying on the Faroe Islands in winter are probably Icelandic. Only the northernmost merlins are migratory birds, and this is for the simple reason that the small birds, which are their prey, migrate to the south in the autumn, thereby forcing the merlins to follow.
Food:
The merlin mostly hunts in open areas where its tactics are high-speed surprise attacks. Most birds are caught on the ground or close to the ground. What makes the merlin the perfect hunter is its sight in particular, as its retina has approximately 1 million visual cells per mm2. In comparison, humans only have around 100,000 per mm2. On the Faroe Islands the prey is often species such as starlings, sparrows, meadow pipits, rock pipits and wheatears, but also waders such as golden plovers and snipes feature on the menu. It is astonishing that the merlin can take a bird as large as the golden plover which weighs about the same as the merlin itself.
Breeding biology:
The merlins select a territory of a certain size depending on the availability of food in the area. In a large area in Iceland the territories of the merlins are around 35 km2. The merlin prefers to breed on inaccessible steep mountainsides, but it does not build its own nest. If it can find an old crow’s or raven’s nest in a suitable location, it will happily take it over. But it can also lay its eggs directly on the bare rock ledge without any sort of nest. The merlins usually start laying their eggs in May, and they often lay four eggs, although nests with between three and six eggs also have been seen. The eggs are approximately 40 mm long and relatively round. They are reddish brown with closely spaced darker dots. The brooding time is approximately four weeks, and the chicks are fledged in just under four weeks.
When the eggs have hatched only the male hunts, and often he also plucks his prey in a particular spot close to the nest with the chicks before handing it over to the female. The female tears the prey into suitable chunks before feeding it to the chicks.
Miscellaneous:
The Faroese name for merlin is smyril and this name is often seen in everyday life on the Faroe Islands. A shipping company is called Smyril Line, and the large ferry to Suðuroy is called “Smyril”.
The merlin is also included in the “Fuglakvæðið” (“Bird Poem”) which has 229 stanzas and was written by Nólsoyar Páll (Páll of Nólsoy) in the early 19th century. A saying, which is still used today, when for example a group of children are playing together well, and a troublemaker suddenly intrudes and destroys the peace and quiet, goes: “Now the smyril came into the flock of starlings”.
The only bird of prey breeding on the Faroe Islands today is the merlin, but it is thought that the white-tailed eagle bred on the Faroe Islands in former times.
Birds of prey belonging to the falcon family can be recognised in flight by their quite pointy wings and relatively long tails. If you look at a falcon up close, you will notice its rather powerful beak, which has a strong projection called the falcon’s “tooth” right behind the down-facing tip of the upper part of the beak which matches a corresponding notch in the lower part of the beak. The falcon family (Falconidae) includes about 60 different species, distributed almost worldwide. The merlins have been classified into ten or eleven subspecies with a Holarctic circumpolar distribution in boreal and subarctic areas. The merlin subspecies which can be seen on the Faroe Islands, both as a breeding bird and as a migratory bird, is called Falco columbarius subaesalon in Latin, and it also breeds in Iceland and Scotland. In particular it is the long wings of the birds of this subspecies that distinguishes them from the aesalon subspecies which breeds in northern Scandinavia and onwards into Siberia.
Appearance:
The merlin is the smallest of the European species of falcon. Its length is between 25 and 30 cm, and it has a wingspan of 50 to 60 cm. The male and female merlins are very different. The male has a greyish blue back and is rusty brown underneath with distinctive lateral stripes. The back of the female is dark brown and the underside is a pale yellowish brown with distinctive dark brown lateral stripes. The juveniles look like the females until early spring the following year, when they start moulting for the adult plumage, and the greyish blue feathers break through on the backs of the young males. The average weight of the females is 210 g, which means that they are slightly larger and heavier than the males which weigh 50 g less on average.
Distribution and migration:
Today between 25 and 50 merlin pairs breed on the Faroe Islands. The population is now increasing after a steep decline in the middle of the last century. One of the reasons for their current increase is probably the relatively mild winters when many starlings and sparrows do well and thereby provide a good basic diet for the merlins. It is not known for certain, but it is presumed that at least part of the Faroese population consists of non-migratory birds. The Icelandic population totals between 1000 and 2000 pairs, most of which are migratory birds. Many of them pass the Faroe Islands in both spring and autumn when they are on their way to their winter habitats in Ireland, Scotland, England and northern France. This means that some of the merlins staying on the Faroe Islands in winter are probably Icelandic. Only the northernmost merlins are migratory birds, and this is for the simple reason that the small birds, which are their prey, migrate to the south in the autumn, thereby forcing the merlins to follow.
Food:
The merlin mostly hunts in open areas where its tactics are high-speed surprise attacks. Most birds are caught on the ground or close to the ground. What makes the merlin the perfect hunter is its sight in particular, as its retina has approximately 1 million visual cells per mm2. In comparison, humans only have around 100,000 per mm2. On the Faroe Islands the prey is often species such as starlings, sparrows, meadow pipits, rock pipits and wheatears, but also waders such as golden plovers and snipes feature on the menu. It is astonishing that the merlin can take a bird as large as the golden plover which weighs about the same as the merlin itself.
Breeding biology:
The merlins select a territory of a certain size depending on the availability of food in the area. In a large area in Iceland the territories of the merlins are around 35 km2. The merlin prefers to breed on inaccessible steep mountainsides, but it does not build its own nest. If it can find an old crow’s or raven’s nest in a suitable location, it will happily take it over. But it can also lay its eggs directly on the bare rock ledge without any sort of nest. The merlins usually start laying their eggs in May, and they often lay four eggs, although nests with between three and six eggs also have been seen. The eggs are approximately 40 mm long and relatively round. They are reddish brown with closely spaced darker dots. The brooding time is approximately four weeks, and the chicks are fledged in just under four weeks.
When the eggs have hatched only the male hunts, and often he also plucks his prey in a particular spot close to the nest with the chicks before handing it over to the female. The female tears the prey into suitable chunks before feeding it to the chicks.
Miscellaneous:
The Faroese name for merlin is smyril and this name is often seen in everyday life on the Faroe Islands. A shipping company is called Smyril Line, and the large ferry to Suðuroy is called “Smyril”.
The merlin is also included in the “Fuglakvæðið” (“Bird Poem”) which has 229 stanzas and was written by Nólsoyar Páll (Páll of Nólsoy) in the early 19th century. A saying, which is still used today, when for example a group of children are playing together well, and a troublemaker suddenly intrudes and destroys the peace and quiet, goes: “Now the smyril came into the flock of starlings”.
Birds' eggs
Date Of Issue 17.06.2002
Date Of Issue 17.06.2002
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Birds' eggs
Among wading birds there are about 160 species worldwide, but only four species of waders are regular breeding birds on the Faroes, and it is these species that are featured on the present series of stamps. There are a further seven species which are rare breeding birds on the Faroes, with under twenty five pairs of each species.
With their long legs, waders are specially adapted to living in wet areas, such as grazing marshes or outlying areas, often along the coasts. Among waders the female is typically larger than the male.
They begin to breed when they are two or three years old, and their strategy in life is based on living as long as possible, making a relatively small investment in the annual brood. All Faroese waders nest on the ground, where they make a very simple nest by scraping out a small hollow, which may be lined with a little straw. Most of them lay four eggs, but the oyster catcher usually lays only three large eggs. A clutch of eggs weighs about as much as the parent bird. The eggs are pear-shaped and camouflaged by their colour – so that they merge into the ground where they are laid. When the chicks hatch they have thick down and their long legs are strong enough to enable them to leave the nest as soon as they are dry, to come to the nearest foraging site. If they are attacked, for example by crows, gulls or humans, the parent birds give a warning cry, and the chicks immediately crouch down in a hollow or in the vegetation, where their fine camouflage makes them almost impossible to see.
Tjaldur – Oyster Catcher – Haematopus ostralegus. Total length 45 cm.
This is the national bird of the Faroes, seen everywhere throughout the summer. Most Faroese oystercatchers winter in Wales, but a few fly as far as France. They return to the Faroes on Grækaris day, 12 March, and traditionally they have their nests full by 12 May. The oyster catcher's nest is simply a hollow, which may be lined with pebbles and mussel shells. The eggs are yellowish brown with dark brown speckles and streaks, and measure about 57 x 40mm. The chicks hatch after twenty five days. The oyster catcher is one of the few wading birds which feeds its young. When the parents have found food, an earthworm for instance, they bring it and place it in front of the chick, which eats it. The chicks often remain in stony areas where they are camouflaged by the colouring of their downy plumage and perfectly protected. The adults scold very loudly every time any other bird or animal approaches the nest or the chicks!
Lógv – Golden Plover – Pluvialis apricaria. Total length 26 cm.
Ring marking studies have shown that the Faroese golden plovers probably winter in the south of Europe. Golden plovers are most often seen high up in the cliffs, where their plaintive whistling call can be heard. They breed at the end of May and the beginning of June. The nest is often built in an area with short, dry grass, and it is usually quite deep, lined with straw and plant material. The eggs are yellowish brown with irregular-sized deep brown speckles especially at the broad end. They measure about 52 x 35mm. The chicks hatch after thirty days. The colouring of their plumage merges into the surrounding dry grass and heather.
Mýrisnípa – Common Snipe – Gallinago gallinago. Total length 27 cm.
Most common snipe leave the Faroes in the winter and it is believed that they winter in Ireland, as do many of the Icelandic snipe. Snipe live in wetlands. The males swoop downwards with their tail feathers spread to make the very characteristic 'drumming' sound which is often heard in the summer. Snipe breed in May and June, when they lay four eggs. The nest is sited on grassland, and the grass is then drawn together to cover the nest. The eggs are olive green with blackish brown speckles and measure about 39 x 29mm. The chicks hatch after twenty three days. When the chicks are hatched the parent birds look after two chicks each.
Spógvi – Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus. Total length 45cm.
The whimbrel spends the winter south of the Sahara in West Africa and along the route may be some factor which explains its decline as a Faroese breeding bird.
If one wanders in the outlying fields it is easy to see the whimbrel from a great distance, because it guards its territory from a prominent point. At the approach of any creature near its nest or chicks it scolds loudly. The four eggs are laid at the end of May or the beginning of June. The nest, which is lined with plant material, is usually sited on open land with relatively low vegetation. The eggs are olive green with quite large dark brown speckles, and measure 58 x 41mm. The chicks hatch after twenty seven days.
Among wading birds there are about 160 species worldwide, but only four species of waders are regular breeding birds on the Faroes, and it is these species that are featured on the present series of stamps. There are a further seven species which are rare breeding birds on the Faroes, with under twenty five pairs of each species.
With their long legs, waders are specially adapted to living in wet areas, such as grazing marshes or outlying areas, often along the coasts. Among waders the female is typically larger than the male.
They begin to breed when they are two or three years old, and their strategy in life is based on living as long as possible, making a relatively small investment in the annual brood. All Faroese waders nest on the ground, where they make a very simple nest by scraping out a small hollow, which may be lined with a little straw. Most of them lay four eggs, but the oyster catcher usually lays only three large eggs. A clutch of eggs weighs about as much as the parent bird. The eggs are pear-shaped and camouflaged by their colour – so that they merge into the ground where they are laid. When the chicks hatch they have thick down and their long legs are strong enough to enable them to leave the nest as soon as they are dry, to come to the nearest foraging site. If they are attacked, for example by crows, gulls or humans, the parent birds give a warning cry, and the chicks immediately crouch down in a hollow or in the vegetation, where their fine camouflage makes them almost impossible to see.
Tjaldur – Oyster Catcher – Haematopus ostralegus. Total length 45 cm.
This is the national bird of the Faroes, seen everywhere throughout the summer. Most Faroese oystercatchers winter in Wales, but a few fly as far as France. They return to the Faroes on Grækaris day, 12 March, and traditionally they have their nests full by 12 May. The oyster catcher's nest is simply a hollow, which may be lined with pebbles and mussel shells. The eggs are yellowish brown with dark brown speckles and streaks, and measure about 57 x 40mm. The chicks hatch after twenty five days. The oyster catcher is one of the few wading birds which feeds its young. When the parents have found food, an earthworm for instance, they bring it and place it in front of the chick, which eats it. The chicks often remain in stony areas where they are camouflaged by the colouring of their downy plumage and perfectly protected. The adults scold very loudly every time any other bird or animal approaches the nest or the chicks!
Lógv – Golden Plover – Pluvialis apricaria. Total length 26 cm.
Ring marking studies have shown that the Faroese golden plovers probably winter in the south of Europe. Golden plovers are most often seen high up in the cliffs, where their plaintive whistling call can be heard. They breed at the end of May and the beginning of June. The nest is often built in an area with short, dry grass, and it is usually quite deep, lined with straw and plant material. The eggs are yellowish brown with irregular-sized deep brown speckles especially at the broad end. They measure about 52 x 35mm. The chicks hatch after thirty days. The colouring of their plumage merges into the surrounding dry grass and heather.
Mýrisnípa – Common Snipe – Gallinago gallinago. Total length 27 cm.
Most common snipe leave the Faroes in the winter and it is believed that they winter in Ireland, as do many of the Icelandic snipe. Snipe live in wetlands. The males swoop downwards with their tail feathers spread to make the very characteristic 'drumming' sound which is often heard in the summer. Snipe breed in May and June, when they lay four eggs. The nest is sited on grassland, and the grass is then drawn together to cover the nest. The eggs are olive green with blackish brown speckles and measure about 39 x 29mm. The chicks hatch after twenty three days. When the chicks are hatched the parent birds look after two chicks each.
Spógvi – Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus. Total length 45cm.
The whimbrel spends the winter south of the Sahara in West Africa and along the route may be some factor which explains its decline as a Faroese breeding bird.
If one wanders in the outlying fields it is easy to see the whimbrel from a great distance, because it guards its territory from a prominent point. At the approach of any creature near its nest or chicks it scolds loudly. The four eggs are laid at the end of May or the beginning of June. The nest, which is lined with plant material, is usually sited on open land with relatively low vegetation. The eggs are olive green with quite large dark brown speckles, and measure 58 x 41mm. The chicks hatch after twenty seven days.
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