Unlike many raptors, Merlins select nest sites in the immediate vicinity of a great deal of human activity. Merlins do not seem to be too disturbed by human presence at perhaps >40 m from the nest, and in monitoring the nest success of urban-nesting Merlins.
I would like to get a reasonably large sample of the prey species
brought to the female, (which one person can't do). Eggs may hatch in
early June and young fledge in early July.
This provides an easy opportunity to obtain obtaining information on the
prey brought to urban raptor nests, especially Merlins. Males often
bring food to the incubating female, she gets off the nest for her meal,
and the male incubates for a few minutes. This provides a chance to
identify and record the prey species as the female rips away. This often
happens around sunrise, and intermittently throughout the day.
I would like to determine when the nest fledges young to the exact day
or as close as possible, or when the nest fails to the day, and even why
is possible, (which one person can't determine).
Monitors would be expected to be able to commit to having a strong
likelihood of
Visiting the nest area at least once a week until fledging,
Visit the nest for approximately an hour, most preferably from
~5:30- 6:30 AM,
Provide a scope for determining prey species,
Provide digital record of observations at nest each week.
Of the four nests (five if you count Dryden) in our imediate area, it
may be that two have failed, while the Dryden potential is unknown.
Further, the one Merlin nest I monitored last year on Hudson St. also
failed. This sample size is too small for statistical analyses, but the
first take on the failure rates is that it is high. It contrasts with a
high success rate for urban nests in Saskatoon. I don't know why any of
the nests failed, since it never happened while I was there.
Please contact John Confer at con...@ithaca.edu.
Thanks,
John
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