Merlin

As I was leaving work this afternoon, an unusual-looking bird flew above me.  It was hawk-like and fairly small--about the size of a dove--and my first thought was of a kestrel.  Last spring I saw two beautiful kestrels while on a hike in Northern Colorado, but today's bird didn't have the kestrel's striking coloring or graceful appearance.  The bird that passed quickly over my head this afternoon (as I was still adjusting my mittens and putting on my sunglasses and thus unable to gather myself together enough to pull out my camera) was light-colored with brown, or, since I only saw it from underneath, I should say its undersides were light-colored with some brown.  It had very pointed, angled wings that it flapped very rapidly.  My best guess is that I saw a merlin, Falco columbarius, and probably the prairie subspecies richardsonii.

According to sdakotabirds.com, the merlin is "a small, fast falcon which catches its main prey (small birds) in flight. Merlins have become adapted to living in urban areas and may overwinter in cities, taking advantage of the steady supply of House Sparrows and Rock Doves (pigeons) that urban centers provide."  Laramie has no shortage of those smaller birds, so perhaps the merlin had come to town to feast.  The Cornell Lab of Ornithology adds, "one species of falcon, merlin, eats so many pigeons its scientific name is Falco columbarius (with the "columba-" meaning pigeon) and it was formerly called Pigeon Hawk."

Although this identification isn't a sure thing (photographic evidence would be nice), it seems like a good possibility.  In any case, now I know a bit more about another raptor, which can only help in my birdwatching future.