Monday, June 30th, 2008. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon, and I checked my voicemail to find a message from one of the neighbors living near the nest tree. One of the Merlin chicks had fallen from the nest! Dave, the neighbor, had rescued it before the crows could pounce on it, and had placed it in a box. I gathered my kids in the minivan, and we drove over, picked up the baby Merlin (he seemed to be in remarkably good condition), and drove him to PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lynnwood Washington, just north of Seattle. By then, we were fighting rush hour traffic. I had placed a towel over the box, so the baby falcon would feel secure (there were air holes in the side of the box), and he didn't make a peep until the folks at the rehabiltation center picked him up for examination (then he let out a very loud KI-KI-KI!). They cared for him for 13 days, taking precautions to prevent imprinting on humans. He was successfully released back at the nest territory with his family at fledging time, and his parents were seen feeding him a few days later. He became known to us as "Puff" once he was released. Puff owes his life to Dave and the wonderful staff at PAWS.