Scotland seems like the perfect definition of the habitat a Merlin should want and thrive in. When I started getting into Merlin’s here in the states, I looked for them everywhere in our open lands compared to the moors of Scotland and I would almost never find a Merlin. Then when I started looking in the city I found them everywhere. From November to March we are loaded with them 🤷 the thought of a Merlin on a Scottish moor is so much more picturesque. Must be a beautiful sight
@benwoodrufffalconry Merlins are very rare here. Birds of prey were persecuted for hundreds of years and some species like the Peregrine, buzzards harriers, kites owls have bounced back really well but some species like merlin, hobby, goshawks and golden eagles are taking longer. My father who has been out and about bird watching in the UK country side around us since he was a boy which is well over 60 years. He's only seen merlin a couple of times and not any time recently and it was in an area miles away from where we live. I haven't spend anywhere near as much time out in the countryside as my father has so unfortunately I've never seen a merlin at all. You have to travel for miles from where we live to even get to the places where they are. Their populations are quite patchy and there are many areas that they could inhabit, that you would expect them to inhabit but for whatever reason they don't and unfortunately one of those places they don't is where I live. You have to travel a fair bit to get to areas where a lot of the cool birds we get like eagles, capercaillie, Merlins, hobbys etc inhabit Yes Scotland is beautiful but I sometimes take the beauty of my surroundings for granted because I see it every day. When I watch your videos and see all the crazy natural rock formations you guys have it looks so alien to me but it is absolutely stunning. Especially the drone footage you had on your intros. That footage is breath taking. I would have loved to have seen those views with my own eyes.
Nice
cool falcon
That’s where I find them, I have been lucky to see a few on less than 20 foot polls like in this video pretty much.
that's cool. Here in Scotland you would never see Merlin in a city.
Scotland seems like the perfect definition of the habitat a Merlin should want and thrive in. When I started getting into Merlin’s here in the states, I looked for them everywhere in our open lands compared to the moors of Scotland and I would almost never find a Merlin. Then when I started looking in the city I found them everywhere. From November to March we are loaded with them 🤷 the thought of a Merlin on a Scottish moor is so much more picturesque. Must be a beautiful sight
@benwoodrufffalconry
Merlins are very rare here. Birds of prey were persecuted for hundreds of years and some species like the Peregrine, buzzards harriers, kites owls have bounced back really well but some species like merlin, hobby, goshawks and golden eagles are taking longer. My father who has been out and about bird watching in the UK country side around us since he was a boy which is well over 60 years. He's only seen merlin a couple of times and not any time recently and it was in an area miles away from where we live. I haven't spend anywhere near as much time out in the countryside as my father has so unfortunately I've never seen a merlin at all. You have to travel for miles from where we live to even get to the places where they are. Their populations are quite patchy and there are many areas that they could inhabit, that you would expect them to inhabit but for whatever reason they don't and unfortunately one of those places they don't is where I live. You have to travel a fair bit to get to areas where a lot of the cool birds we get like eagles, capercaillie, Merlins, hobbys etc inhabit
Yes Scotland is beautiful but I sometimes take the beauty of my surroundings for granted because I see it every day. When I watch your videos and see all the crazy natural rock formations you guys have it looks so alien to me but it is absolutely stunning. Especially the drone footage you had on your intros. That footage is breath taking. I would have loved to have seen those views with my own eyes.