Trouble was rescued in 2025 as a week-old hatchling after falling from her nest and being unable to be returned. Through no fault of hers, the finder needed to care for her for several days before we could have the bird flown from Fairbanks to Sitka. Upon arrival, staff took extensive measures to prevent imprinting, including feeding her in a ghillie suit and using a merlin puppet during meals. Despite these efforts, Trouble began seeking out humans for food as she grew. She was given a final chance to develop wild behaviors in an isolated mew with food dropped through a tube and no human contact, but she continued to show signs of imprinting. Because imprinted birds don’t have the skills needed to survive in the wild, Trouble became a permanent resident at the Center.

Merlins are one of the few raptors that can be sexed by the difference in the plumage of males and females. This usually doesn’t become apparent until the bird is at least a year old and they go through the first molt. Trouble, while initially thought to be a male, turned out to be female after her first molt!