This Merlin was surprisingly still when I found him, but before long he began to preen, and preening birds often make interesting photos, so I stuck around. After the usual body feathers, however, the falcon transitioned it’s attentions to its legs, something I have never seen a Merlin do before, though I have seen it in other birds.
Beautiful photo!
It sounds like you were paying close attention to the behavior, that’s great, and something I should probably do more.