A short signal came in on 9th January – it gives hope that the transmitter has not been charging due to its small size and winter sun – let’s hope in the coming months it starts to transmit again.

No news but impossible to say if she is dead or the battery is discharged – once October comes in there is a scarcity of sun and clear days to charge the battery on even the larger transmitters, and the tiny solar transmitter on the merlin will be the most likely to have a flat battery. It’s made worse in northern Scotland because the sun is low in the horizon and is even less likely to charge a tiny solar panel, but as the sun rises higher in the new year we may hear news. Fingers crossed.

Unfortunately we have received no new signals – hopefully it’s due to poor weather failing to charge the battery.

There was a single signal just after midday from the hills on the west side of the road, near Tullich, that runs from Loch Awe to Inverary in Argyll.  This is 88 kms SW of her location on 12th September. Disappointing there were no signals in between but the poor weather is probably not charging up the solar panels on the tiny transmitter.

Location north of Inverary in Argyll.

Movement of young merlin away from Upper Badenoch

Today just after midday Corrie was in the valley between the River Spey and Loch Laggan; there were also two poor quality in accurate  signals in west Inverness-shire.

Between the River Spey and Loch Laggan

Corrie had moved back down the glen from two days ago and was near Melgarve, at the entrance of the Corrieyairack Pass.  At 9.39pm she was on the south side of the River Spey, then at 10.18pm was at the large plantation on the north side near Melgarve and then ended up roosting in a small conifer plantation on the south side of the river by 11.20pm. Roosting in the edge of conifer plantations is probably a favourite behaviour of merlins, especially as some pairs breed in old crow nests along the edge of such plantations.

Roosting behaviour near Melgarve 10th September

Corrie was in the hills 3 kms NW of Loch Spey in the headwaters of the River Spey.

Today, at 7.39am a class 1 signal came from the shoulder of A’Chailleach, a high mountain north of Newtonmore, nearly 20 kms from the nest area.

At 05.35am Corrie was roosting in the edge of a conifer plantation up the glen.

Roost location overnight 20th/21st August

A signal at 12.24am was from close to the nest site; the young had left the nest.