Those falcons sure do love their water! They know that birds are in the open, exposed, sometimes exhausted and usually abundant along bodies of water including oceans, rivers, lakes, swamps and more. At this time of year, with so many birds on the move back to the north, hunting along and over water makes life easier for a falcon like this Merlin, able to snag prey that is already in a foreign place and tired from a long journey across the globe. Clever predator.