Merlin at The Clettwr

This morning John Davis and I met for a walk along The Clettwr. We'd not gone far when we picked up on a Merlin chasing a Skylark. Following the action was neck-straining stuff as the two birds swooped and jinked in the sky directly overhead. Eventually, on the fifth or sixth pass the Merlin struck its unfortunate quarry and the chase was done. Then, out of nowhere came a second Merlin. Our vision was obscured by a nearby tree for a moment when the prey was passed from one raptor to the other. So we were unable to see if what took place was a genuine "food-pass" or a mugging.