Another of Terry's birds of prey but an unusual item as it was painted on the elegant 146 Moorcroft shape. In the short life of Moorcroft Enamels the vast majority of the freehand painted editions were executed on the 4 shape or on a box, so this is something of a collector's item as it is the only freehand painted design ever to appear on this shape. Terry says it was a very difficult shape to paint a design on because of its narrowness, so it is not surprising that it was not used again.

The image Terry has created is that of a male Merlin in hot pursuit of a dragonfly. The head of the bird is brilliantly executed but the piece de resistance is the charming blue dragonfly.

This gritty little "blue" falcon breeds on our remote uplands, usually in tall heather (although in Scandanavia it is a tree nesting species). It is more often seen when it moves to the warmer surroundings around our estuaries in autumn and winter. Males have much less heavy facial markings than the larger Peregrine, while females are an earthy brown, not the rufous brown of a Kestrel. They feed on small birds, larger moths and dragonflies. The U.K. population is probably no more than 1500 pairs.