Date: 7/29/26 5:52 pm From: <kim.mccormick...> via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Merlins in Greenwood (and elsewhere!)
As mentioned by Kersti and Karen, this is the time of the breeding season when young Merlins are venturing outside of the immediate vicinity of their nest tree, which is why folks are suddenly noticing them in various neighborhoods. There were several nests in North Seattle this season.
I've been personally obsessed with merlins for over 20 years now. In 2013, I teamed up with Ben Vang-Johnson to launch the Seattle Merlin Project. Our project goals include investigating nest site density, pair fidelity, juvenile dispersal patterns, and documenting annual movements of individual Merlins. If you were lucky enough to find a merlin nest this season in the greater Seattle area, including the Eastside, we would love to hear about it! If you spot a Merlin ANYWHERE, at any time of year, please try to check for leg bands. Merlins banded for our study will have a color band (red or blue) with a two-letter code on one leg (right for males, left for females). The opposite leg will have a silver Federal band. You can contact us through the online reporting form on our webpage (Seattle Merlin Project | Urban Raptor Conservancy<https://urbanraptor.org/research/seattle-merlin-project/>). Thank you so much!
