Subject: [Tweeters] re: (Banded) Merlin in Magnolia/ request for Merlin
Date: Aug 30 09:43:32 2017
From: Kim McCormick - kim.mccormick at comcast.net


Good Morning, Tweets!



The Merlin sighted by Rachel Lawson near Discovery Park was most-likely
banded by Ben Vang-Johnson and I as part of our study of the greater Seattle
area Merlin population (see: http://wos.org/research/). We are in the
fifth year of our investigation of Merlin nest site characteristics, nesting
success and density, site and pair fidelity, and annual movements.



Juveniles from this year's breeding season have dispersed from their nest
sites. One of the objectives of our study is to learn more about their
dispersal patterns (i.e. direction and distance traveled). Band
re-sightings are integral to the success of our work.



In order to track individual Merlin movements and relationships, we band
Merlins with blue or red color bands. These banded Merlins will also have a
silver Federal band on the opposite leg. Each color band has a
two-character code that identifies the Merlin. Blue bands use two letters,
stacked one on top of the other, read top to bottom. Red bands use two
numbers, side-by-side, read left to right. These bands can be read with a
spotting scope.



If you happen to be watching a Merlin through your scope, take a look at its
legs when it stretches or moves around and you might see a color band. We'd
love to hear about any banded Merlin sightings. If you are able to read the
band's code, we will be happy to share what we know about the bird's life
history. We would also appreciate hearing about Merlin breeding activity
observed this Spring and Summer (potential or confirmed), as these tips
could lead to the identification of additional breeding territories within
our study area.



We are in the process of analyzing this breeding season's data, and will
post a project update soon.



Thank you!



Kim McCormick

kim (dot) <mailto:mccormick at comcast.net> mccormick (at) comcast (dot) net



Ben Vang-Johnson

bvjohnson87 (at) gmail (dot) com



Seattle, WA