Wednesday, September 23, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 23 Check before you cut trees Dear Property Guy By Mike Zoormajian Dear Property Guy, I live in downtown Sisters and recently cut down some sick trees near my house. A neighbor advised that I needed a permit to cut trees. I told her to get off my lawn and to mind her own busi- ness, but now I9m curious what the real deal is. 4 Sisters Lumberjack PHOTO BY DOUGLAS BEALL The smallest falcon, the Merlin (Falco columbarius) Sisters Country birds By Douglas Beall Correspondent The smallest falcon, the Merlin (Falco columbar- ius), primarily hunts smaller birds while flying 4 flush- ing birds from thickets and chasing them using their amazing speed and maneu- verability to catch their prey on the wing. During their breeding season the Merlin inhab- its open upland and low- land prairies. Merlins do not build their own nests; instead they use old stick nests built by hawks, mag- pies or crows. Occasionally they nest on ledges or tree cavities. The nest contains three to six brown eggs, which are incubated for 27 Do you have a story idea for to 32 days. The male provides all food for the brood and female until the young begin to fledge. The young leave the nest about a month after hatching and leave the area within five weeks to begin their adult life. There are Merlins pass- ing through Central Oregon now, as they will stop and hunt before heading south, although a few may remain in our area. In the past the Merlin was called a pigeon hawk. Groups of Merlins are referred to as a