Kim continued to observe and document Merlin activity for the next several years, and through Jack she met Ben Vang-Johnson. In 2013 Kim and Ben started the Seattle Merlin Project, combining nest monitoring, winter observation, and bird banding in the Seattle metropolitan area. The objectives of the Seattle Merlin Project are to:
1. Determine breeding and wintering site fidelity as well as breeding pair fidelity
2. Document annual spatial movements of individual Merlins breeding or wintering
3. Determine annual nesting success and productivity of Merlin pairs
4. Estimate nesting density of Merlins
5. Investigate natal dispersal of juvenile Merlins
6. Describe nest site characteristics, plumage characteristics, and other natural history
To achieve these objectives, the project uses nest searching, nest monitoring, banding, year-round observation, nest tree measurements, and remote sensing landscape characterization.
Ben and Kim have documented the continuing expansion of the urban-nesting Merlin population. In 2018, they located 18 pairs in the Seattle metropolitan area, and 14 of them successfully fledged young. Inside the Seattle city limits, they found 7 nesting pairs, with 4 succeeding in fledging young.
Between 2013 and 2018, the Seattle Merlin Project has documented and monitored 79 active merlin nesting territories in Seattle and the surrounding Puget Sound region. Sixty-two of these nests successfully fledged young, for a robust success rate of 78.5%. The project has thus far banded 77 merlins and observed over 200 banded merlin sightings, over 100 of which resulted in full band reads.
Public observations of Merlins and resightings of banded Merlins are invaluable to the Seattle Merlin Project. Ben and Kim would be very interested to hear of any banded Merlin sightings, possible breeding activity, or even general Merlin observations in the Puget Sound area. If you are inclined to share your observations, please contact Ben Vang-Johnson (bvjohnson87 at gmail dot com) or Kim McCormick (kim.mccormick at comcast dot net). Information shared with the project will be confidential and would be greatly appreciated.
Merlins are banded with a color band (red in previous years, now blue) on one leg and a silver federal band on the other leg. Females are banded on the left leg and males on the right leg.
Each color band has a two-character code that identifies the merlin. Blue bands use two letters, 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 or powerful camera. If you happen to be watching a Merlin through your scope or camera, take a look at its legs when it stretches or moves around, and you might see a colored band.
Over time, the Seattle Merlin Project has documented more and more nests. Certainly this increase is partly from getting more proficient at finding Merlins and an ever-increasing knowledge of the local territories. However, it probably also documents the expansion of the Merlin population itself. The Seattle Merlin Project looks forward to additional years of study to fully reach the project’s objectives and to continue to monitor and document the trajectory of this young urban and suburban Merlin population.
For more information
Hunn, E. 2012. Birding in Seattle and King County. Second edition. Seattle Audubon Society.
Sodhi, NS, James, PC, Warkenron, IG, & Oliphant, LW. 1992. Breeding ecology of urban Merlins (Falco columbarius). Canadian J. Zoology, 70(8):1477-1483.
Wall, T, Tweit, B, & Mlodinow, S. Eds. 2005. Birds of Washington: Status and Distribution. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press.
Captions for photos 1-8 (in Library):
1 Merlin nest with nestlings in a Douglas fir. Nests are typically near the top of large conifers.
2 Juvenile merlins perched on a gutter near their nest site. Recently fledged merlin siblings often hang out together for 3-4 weeks while continuing to be fed by their parents before dispersing from the nest site.
3 Juvenile merlin sunbathing on a roof top.
4a Adult male Taiga subspecies (Falco columbarius columbarius) banded in Seattle during the winter. This individual is likely passing through the area. Taiga merlins can be found in Seattle during migration and winter seasons but have not been documented breeding in the area. Notice the broader white tails bands, cleaner through, lighter and thinner breast streaking, and lighter head, cheeks, and supercilium compared to the black merlin in photo 4b.
4b Adult male Black subspecies (F. c. suckleyi) banded in Seattle during the winter, the same day as the Taiga merlin in photo 4a. This individual is a local breeder. Notice the much thinner and broken white tail bands, throat with more streaking, darker and heavier breast streaking, and darker head and cheeks and reduced supercilium.
5 Adult female breeder from the first documented Seattle merlin nest. Orignally banded by Jack Bettesworth, then recaptured years later by the Seattle Merlin Project and outfitted with a blue color band, code K/W.
6 Banded juvenile female from a northeast Seattle nest, perched on a powerline. Several weeks before this picture, she was found on the ground near the nest, apparently having fledged prematurely or knocked out of the nest. She was brought to PAWS Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and then successfully released back to her family. Post-release, she was spotted for several more weeks receiving food from her parents.
7 Banded juvenile male from a northeast Seattle nest, perched on a dead-top tree near the nest site. Merlins often perch near the tops of conifer trees and seem to have a particular liking for dead-top trees.
8 Adult male merlin caught and banded in a northeast Seattle territory.