DOCSLIB.ORG

A Monitoring Plan for Brachyramphus Murrelets in Alaska

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Monitoring Plan for Brachyramphus Murrelets in Alaska A MONITORING PLAN FOR BRACHYRAMPHUS MURRELETS IN ALASKA Milo Burcham Nick Hatch USFWS and NPS Monitoring Report # June 2015 Report # September 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project was funded through grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management office in Anchorage, Alaska and the National Park Service, Glacier Bay Field Station, Juneau, Alaska to Oregon State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in Corvallis, Oregon. Many thanks to K. Maas- Hebner and K. Raum-Suryan for helping write sections of this monitoring plan. C. Rose created the maps. The plan benefited greatly from edits and input from A. Wilson, xx, and xx. The ideas and outline for this monitoring plan were based on meetings and input from the following people and agencies (but see Appendix A): Kathy Kuletz, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Scott Gende, National Park Service David Irons, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service John Piatt, U.S. Geological Survey Michelle Kissling, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Robb Kaler, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kim Nelson, Oregon State University James Lawonn, Oregon State University This publication should be cited as: Nelson, S.K., K.J. Kuletz, and S.M. Gende. 2015. A monitoring plan for Brachyramphus murrelets in Alaska. USFWS and NPS Monitoring Report no. XX. For more information please contact: USFWS, Migratory Birds NPS, Glacier Bay Field Station 1011 E Tudor Road 3100 National Park Road Anchorage, AK 99503 Juneau, AK, 99801 [email protected] [email protected] http://www.fws.gov/alaska/mbsp/mbm/ http://www.nps.gov/glba/ i TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... i 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 2. OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................... 4 3. JUSTIFICATION ................................................................................................... 5 4. PARTNERS .......................................................................................................... 7 5. STUDY AREA ....................................................................................................... 7 6. METHODS ............................................................................................................ 8 7. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................... 8 7.1 Kittlitz’s Murrelet ............................................................................................ 11 7.2 Marbled Murrelet ........................................................................................... 14 7.3 MAMU vs. KIMU Identification ....................................................................... 18 8. MONITORING STRATEGY ................................................................................ 19 9. POPULATION MONITORING ............................................................................ 24 9.1 Historic At-Sea Population Estimates and Trends ......................................... 24 9.1.1 When Surveys Have Been Conducted ................................................... 24 9.1.2 Where Surveys Have Been Conducted .................................................. 25 9.1.3 Population Trends .................................................................................. 27 9.2 Historic Survey Methods and Recommendations .......................................... 28 9.2.1 BRMU Survey Recommendations from the Literature ............................ 31 9.3 Recommended Methods for Future BRMU Population and Trend Surveys .. 35 9.3.1 Vessels ................................................................................................... 36 9.3.2 Observers ............................................................................................... 36 9.3.3 Ship Speed ............................................................................................. 36 9.3.4 Survey Lines ........................................................................................... 36 9.3.5 Survey Methodology ............................................................................... 37 9.3.6 Survey Period ......................................................................................... 37 ii 9.3.7 Data Collection ....................................................................................... 37 9.3.8 Species ................................................................................................... 37 9.3.9 Criteria for Stopping Surveys .................................................................. 38 9.3.10 Stratification .......................................................................................... 38 9.3.11 Replicate Survey Lines ......................................................................... 38 9.3.12 Modeling/Analyses ............................................................................... 39 9.3.13 Where to Conduct Surveys ................................................................... 39 9.3.14 Gaps in Location of Historic Surveys .................................................... 40 10. PRODUCTIVITY ............................................................................................... 41 10.1 Inland Nesting sites ..................................................................................... 41 10.2 Recommendations for Monitoring Nesting Productivity ............................... 44 10.2.1 Covariates for Monitoring BRMU Reproduction .................................... 49 10.2.2 Covariates for BRMU Habitat Monitoring .............................................. 49 10.2.3 Priorities for Inland Monitoring and Research ....................................... 50 10.3 At-Sea Juvenile Surveys ............................................................................. 51 11. THREATS ......................................................................................................... 52 10.1 Food limitation ............................................................................................. 52 10.2 Loss of Nesting Habitat ............................................................................... 53 10.3 Low Reproductive Success ......................................................................... 53 10.4 Predation/Depredation ................................................................................ 54 10.5 Fisheries Bycatch ........................................................................................ 55 10.6 Marine Pollution........................................................................................... 55 10.7 Climate Change/Glacial Recession ............................................................. 56 10.8 Disturbance ................................................................................................. 57 11. RESEARCH ...................................................................................................... 58 12. NEXT STEPS ................................................................................................... 59 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 60 FIGURES ............................................................................................................... 83 TABLES……………………………………………………………………………………85 iii Appendix A. Contributors to the Plan ..................................................................... 93 iv 1. INTRODUCTION Marbled (Brachyramphus marmoratus) and Kittlitz’s (Brachyramphus brevirostris) murrelets are small diving seabirds (Family Alcidae) that generally occur in sheltered marine waters of the North Pacific. Marbled Murrelets breed in older- aged coastal forests from Alaska to central California, but also nest on the ground and on rock ledges in parts of Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington (Nelson 1997, Bradley and Cooke 2001, Carter and Sealy 2005, Bloxton and Raphael 2008). Kittlitz’s Murrelets are endemic to coastal Alaska and the Russian Far East and breed on talus slopes often near glaciers (Day et al. 1999). Murrelets in the genus Brachyramphus (i.e., Marbled, Kittlitz’s, and Long-billed B. perdix) fly long distances inland to their solitary nests (generally up to 40 km), are cryptic and secretive at nest sites, and active primarily at dawn and dusk (Nelson 1997, Day et al. 1999, Lawonn 2012). These species are thought to be declining over much of their ranges due to numerous anthropogenic threats including habitat loss, oil spills, interactions with commercial fisheries, predation, human disturbance, and climate change. Marbled Murrelets are listed as threatened in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Both Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelets are species of conservation concern in Alaska (USFWS 1992, 1997, 2009), ‘Priority Species’ in the draft Landscape Conservation Cooperative plans (LCC 2014), and on the American Bird Conservancy and National Audubon watch lists (ABC 2007). Brachyramphus murrelets are poorly understood, difficult to monitor, and declining throughout much of their ranges. Evaluating the status and trends of a species is vital to their conservation and management yet determining Brachyramphus murrelet productivity and status and trends is challenging because they spend most of their lives at sea; most breed in isolated areas where they
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Specimen Record of a Long-Billed Murrelet from Eastern Washington, with Notes on Plumage and Morphometric Differences Between Long-Billed and Marbled Murrelets
    SPECIMEN RECORD OF A LONG-BILLED MURRELET FROM EASTERN WASHINGTON, WITH NOTES ON PLUMAGE AND MORPHOMETRIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LONG-BILLED AND MARBLED MURRELETS CHRISTOPER W. THOMPSON, WashingtonDepartment of Fish and Wildlife, 16018 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek, Washington98012, and Burke Museum,Box 353100, Universityof Washington,Seattle, Washington 98195 KEVIN J. PULLEN, ConnerMuseum, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash- ington 99164 RICHARD E. JOHNSON, Conner Museumand School of BiologicalSciences, WashingtonState University,Pullman, Washington 99164 ERICB. CUMMINS, WashingtonDepartment of Fishand Wildlife, 600 CapitolWay North, Olympia,Washington 98501 ABSTRACT:On 14 August2001, RobertDice found a Brachyramphusmurrelet approximately12 mileseast of Pomeroyin easternWashington state more than 200 milesfrom the nearestmarine waters. The bird died later that day. It had begun definitiveprebasic body molt, but not flightfeather molt. Necropsy indicated that the birdwas a female,probably in her secondcalendar year. Johnson and Thompson identifiedthe birdas a Long-billedMurrelet, Brachyramphus perdix, on the basisof plumageand measurements;it is the firstspecimen of thisspecies for Washington state. Contrary to many recent publicationsstating that Long-billedand Marbled Murreletshave white and brownunder wing coverts, respectively, we confirmedthat bothspecies typically have white under wing coverts prior to definitiveprebasic molt andbrown under wing coverts after this molt. Absence of anyextensive storm systems in the North Pacificin
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of the Fossil Seabirds from the Tertiary of the North Pacific
    Paleobiology,18(4), 1992, pp. 401-424 A review of the fossil seabirds fromthe Tertiaryof the North Pacific: plate tectonics,paleoceanography, and faunal change Kenneth I. Warheit Abstract.-Ecologists attempt to explain species diversitywithin Recent seabird communities in termsof Recent oceanographic and ecological phenomena. However, many of the principal ocean- ographic processes that are thoughtto structureRecent seabird systemsare functionsof geological processes operating at many temporal and spatial scales. For example, major oceanic currents,such as the North Pacific Gyre, are functionsof the relative positions of continentsand Antarcticgla- ciation,whereas regional air masses,submarine topography, and coastline shape affectlocal processes such as upwelling. I hypothesize that the long-termdevelopment of these abiotic processes has influencedthe relative diversityand communitycomposition of North Pacific seabirds. To explore this hypothesis,I divided the historyof North Pacific seabirds into seven intervalsof time. Using published descriptions,I summarized the tectonicand oceanographic events that occurred during each of these time intervals,and related changes in species diversityto changes in the physical environment.Over the past 95 years,at least 94 species of fossil seabirds have been described from marine deposits of the North Pacific. Most of these species are from Middle Miocene through Pliocene (16.0-1.6 Ma) sediments of southern California, although species from Eocene to Early Miocene (52.0-22.0 Ma) deposits are fromJapan,
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Assessment
    BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT BETA UNIT GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY OFFSHORE HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA Project No. 1602-1681 Prepared for: Beta Operating Company, LLC 111 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 1240 Long Beach, CA 90802 Prepared by: Padre Associates, Inc. 1861 Knoll Drive Ventura, California 93003 SEPTEMBER 2017 Beta Unit Geophysical Survey Biological Assessment 1602-1681 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................... 1 2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................................. 3 2.1 LOCATION ............................................................................................ 3 2.2 PROPOSED ACTION ........................................................................... 3 2.2.1 Project Vessel Configuration and Mobilization .......................... 3 2.2.2 Offshore Survey Operations ...................................................... 6 2.3 PROJECT SCHEDULE ......................................................................... 13 3.0 SPECIES ACCOUNTS AND STATUS OF THE SPECIES IN THE ACTION AREA 15 3.1 INVERTEBRATES ................................................................................ 16 3.1.1 White Abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) ............................................ 16 3.2 FISH ...................................................................................................... 17 3.2.1 Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) ............................................ 17 3.3 MARINE BIRDS ...................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Status Review of the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus Marmoratus)
    Final Report DRAFT for Public and Peer Review Status Review of the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in Oregon and Evaluation of Criteria to Reclassify the Species from Threatened to Endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife September January 20187 Foreword The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating the status of the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in Oregon in response to a petition from several conservation groups. The petition requests that the seabird be reclassified from threatened to endangered (uplisted) under the Oregon Endangered Species Act. This draft report has been prepared by the Department for the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, as a guide to the requirements of the Oregon Endangered Species Act and, as an draft assessment of the biological status of the species, and as a document for public and peer review. Prior Marbled Murrelet status reviews by the Department (ODFW 1995, 2013) served as the starting point for this report, and new or updated information was incorporated wherever possible. A draft of this document A final report will beunderwent peer and public review in fall 2017 produced following completion of the public comment and peer review processes. All comments received were considered in the preparation of this final report.. The Department expects to present the final status review and reclassification analysis to the Commission in February 2018. Cover Photo: Martin Raphael, U.S. Forest Service. Available from Flickr. Suggested Citation: ODFW. 20187. Draft sStatus review of the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in Oregon and evaluation of criteria to reclassify the species from threatened to endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act.
    [Show full text]
  • Marbled Murrelet Fact Sheet
    Marbled Murrelet Fact Sheet Marbled Murrelet – Brachyramphus marmoratus Listing status: Federally listed threatened species in Washington, Oregon, and California Marbled murrelets are pigeon-sized seabirds that live along the Pacific coast of North America from California to Alaska. The marbled murrelet is a secretive seabird that nests in older forests and forages in nearby marine waters. They are adapted for both underwater (to pursue prey) and aerial flights. In Washington, they have been seen up to 50 miles from marine waters but primarily use suitable habitat within 40 miles of the coast. Washington’s populations occur mainly in the northern Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and along the northern Pacific Coast. While at-sea distribution varies Marbled murrelet with winter plumage. Photo: Rich MacIntosh over time and location, there is a general shift in winter abundance eastward from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. In fall and winter, British Columbia's populations move south to the Puget Sound. Breeding plumage. Photo: Aaron Barna Juvenile (hatch-year) marbled murrelet just before fledging from nest. Photo: Tom Hamer Marbled Murrelet Plumage and Breeding Season Males and females have identical plumage that varies seasonally. When breeding, they have a dark upper body with rust-color tips on the back feathers, and are heavily mottled on the lower body. This “marbled” pattern is thought to protect breeding birds from detection by predators in forested habitats. In winter, adults have a brown-grey upper body, and white lower body. Juvenile and adult birds only can be distinguished from each other for a brief period in late summer and early fall.
    [Show full text]
  • Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus Marmoratus) 5-Year Review
    Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) 5-Year Review U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Washington Fish and Wildlife Office Lacey, WA June 12, 2009 FINAL Final 2009 5-Year Review for the Marbled Murrelet June 12, 2009 5-YEAR REVIEW Species reviewed: Marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION............................................................................................. 1 2.0 REVIEW ANALYSIS........................................................................................................ 3 2.1 Application of the 1996 Distinct Population Segment (DPS) policy ......... 3 2.2 Recovery Criteria...................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Does the species have a final, approved recovery plan containing objective, measurable criteria? ........................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Adequacy of recovery criteria.............................................................................. 12 2.3 Updated Information and Current Species Status..................................... 14 2.3.1 Biology and Habitat ............................................................................................. 14 2.3.1.1 New information on the species’ biology and life history:...................... 14 2.3.1.2 Abundance, population trends (e.g. increasing, decreasing, stable), demographic features (e.g., age structure, sex ratio, family size, birth rate, age at mortality, mortality rate, etc.),
    [Show full text]
  • Sixteen Vetted Fossil Calibrations for Divergence Dating of Charadriiformes (Aves, Neognathae)
    Palaeontologia Electronica palaeo-electronica.org Sixteen vetted fossil calibrations for divergence dating of Charadriiformes (Aves, Neognathae) N. Adam Smith ABSTRACT The Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies) are an ecologically and morphologi- cally diverse clade with a global geographic distribution. The perceived antiquity of this lineage and the cryptic plumage and morphology of some charadriiforms have made them a frequent focus of study by ornithologists. Likewise, with the relatively recent advent of molecular sequence based divergence estimation methods, no less than seven studies have estimated the timing of cladogenetic events in Charadriiformes. Unfortunately, all of those studies have suffered from poor choice and characterization (i.e., age and taxonomic assignment) of fossil calibrations used for divergence time analysis. Given that studies of both real and simulated data have demonstrated the potential for calibration choice to bias node age estimates, the results of previously published analyses of divergence times for Charadriiformes must, accordingly, be viewed with caution. To alleviate introduction of fossil calibration bias with respect to future analyses of divergence times including Charadriiformes, 16 rigorously evaluated charadriiform fossil calibrations are reported herein. N. Adam Smith. The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, 2024 W. Main St., Suite A200, Durham, NC, 27705, U.S.A., [email protected] KEYWORDS: Charadrii; minimum age constraints; Pan-Alcidae; Lari; Scolopaci; seabirds and shorebirds INTRODUCTION forms were previously considered a basal neorni- thine lineage and were influential in the Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies) are a development of the largely refuted ‘transitional globally distributed clade including more than 360 shorebird’ hypothesis (Olson, 1985; Feduccia, morphologically and ecologically diverse species 1996), dating cladogenetic events in Charadrii- (del Hoyo et al., 1996).
    [Show full text]
  • Experimental Evidence That Social Information Affects Habitat Selection in Marbled Murrelets Jonathon J
    AmericanOrnithology.org Volume 138, 2021, pp. 1–13 DOI: 10.1093/ornithology/ukaa086 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/auk/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ornithology/ukaa086/6167858 by University of California, Santa Barbara user on 12 March 2021 RESEARCH ARTICLE Experimental evidence that social information affects habitat selection in Marbled Murrelets Jonathon J. Valente,1,2,*, S. Kim Nelson,3 James W. Rivers,1, Daniel D. Roby,3, and Matthew G. Betts4,*, 1 Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, & Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA 2 Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C., USA 3 Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA 4 Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA * Corresponding authors: Jonathon J. Valente, [email protected]; Matthew G. Betts, [email protected] Submission Date: July 22, 2020; Editorial Acceptance Date: November 30, 2020; Published March 10, 2021 ABSTRACT Habitat selection decisions can impact individual fitness and ultimately scale up to mediate population dynamics. Understanding how birds select habitat is thus critical for discerning the biological processes structuring populations and for developing conservation strategies, particularly for species in decline. Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus; hereafter murrelet) populations have declined in recent decades due to loss of late-successional forest nesting habitat and changing ocean conditions that impact foraging success. Most other seabirds in the family Alcidae nest colonially and evidence suggests nesting murrelets may aggregate in stands, yet no studies have examined murrelet use of social information in nest-site selection.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Avian Biology JAV-00487 Smith, N
    Journal of Avian Biology JAV-00487 Smith, N. A. and Clarke, J. A. 2014. Systematics and evolution evolution of the Pan-Alcidae (Aves, Charadriiformes). – J. Avian Biol. doi: 10.1111/ jav.00487 Supplementary material Appendix 1 Supplementary Tables Table A1. Taxon sampling and associated morphological character and sequence incompleteness (i.e., % missing data). Totals include molecular gaps and morphological characters not scored owing to absence. Extinct taxa denoted by "†". Supraspecific taxon terminal denoted by "SST". Morphological Molecular Combined Taxon Data Sequence Data Data 1. †Aethia barnesi 93.8 100 99.8 2. Aethia cristatella 24.9 38.3 37.9 3. Aethia psittacula 12.2 38.1 37.4 4. Aethia pusilla 11.3 37.5 36.8 5. Aethia pygmaea 24.4 37.5 37.1 6. †Aethia storeri 85.3 100 99.6 7. †Alca ausonia 84.1 100 99.6 8. †Alca carolinensis 62.9 100 98.9 9. †Alca grandis 70.5 100 99.2 10. †Alca minor 84.7 100 99.6 11. †Alca olsoni 71.4 100 99.6 12. Alca torda 2.8 36.4 35.5 13. †Alca stewarti 72.8 100 99.3 14. Alle alle 10.8 33.1 32.5 15. Anous tenuirostris 26.9 61.6 60.6 16. Bartramia longicauda 12.7 53.7 52.6 17. Brachyramphus brevirostris 24.6 37.8 37.5 18. †Brachyramphus dunkeli 84.7 100 99.6 19. Brachyramphus marmoratus 5.1 37.5 36.6 20. Brachyramphus perdix 25.8 41.6 41.2 21. †Brachyramphus pliocenum 85.3 100 99.6 22.
    [Show full text]
  • Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus Marmoratus)
    Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) Northern California Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Synthesis An Important Note About this Document: This document represents an initial evaluation of vulnerability for marbled murrelet in northern California based on expert input and existing information. Specifically, the information presented below comprises vulnerability factors selected and scored by regional experts, relevant references from the scientific literature, and peer-review comments and revisions (see end of document for a glossary of terms and brief overview of study methods). The aim of this document is to expand understanding of habitat vulnerability to changing climate conditions, and to provide a foundation for developing appropriate adaptation responses. Peer review for this document was provided by Gregory Schrott (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Vulnerability scores were provided by Richard Golightly (provided additional comments; Humboldt State University) and Gregory Schrott. Table of Contents Species Description ............................................................................................................................1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................2 Sensitivity and Exposure ....................................................................................................................3 Sensitivity and future exposure to climate and climate-driven factors....................................................
    [Show full text]
  • (Brachyramphus Brevirostris) in Icy Bay, Alaska
    Identifying nesting and foraging habitat of Kittlitz's murrelets (Brachyramphus brevirostris) in Icy Bay, Alaska 2007 Annual Summary Primary Investigator: Michelle Kissling, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3000 Vintage Blvd., Suite 201 , Juneau, Alaska 99801 , 907-780-1168, [email protected] Co-investigators: Scott Geode, National Park Service, Glacier Bay Field Station, 3100 National Park Road, Juneau, AK 99801 , [email protected]; Mason Reid, National Park Service, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, PO Box 439, Copper Center, AK 99573, [email protected]; Stephen B. Lewis, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, PO Box 240020, Douglas, AK 99824, [email protected]; Paul L ukacs, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Avian Research Program, 317 W. Prospect Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80526, [email protected]; Nick Hatch, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3000 Vintage Blvd.• Suite 201 , Juneau, Alaska 99801, 907-780- 1177, [email protected]. In 2005 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service cooperated on a multiyear project to develop a long-term monitoring plan and to identify important nesting and foraging habitats ofKittlitz's murrelets (Brachyramphus brevirostris) in Icy Bay, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. In 2005, we focused on identifying temporal and spatial variability of Kittlitz's murrelets in Icy Bay throughout the breeding season. In 2006, we shifted our focus to identifying important foraging and nesting habitats and launched a pilot study to radio tag and locate 15 individuals throughout the breeding season. After success in 2006, we increased our effort in 2007 to radio tag and locate 30 birds during the breeding season.
    [Show full text]
  • Marbled Murrelet
    Marbled Murrelet The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a small robin-sized seabird that nests in coastal old-growth forests. It is the only tree-nesting seabird, often flying miles inland to nest on mossy limbs of the rainforest canopy. In North America, the species range stretches along the Pacific coast from the Bering Sea to central California, with the largest populations occurring in southeastern Alaska. Identification: Marbled Murrelets are in the same family as auklets, puffins and murres. All members of the Alcid family swim under water, propelling themselves with their wings, much like their Penguin counterparts in the southern hemisphere. These birds have slender black bills, long, narrow wings and short tails. Murrelets, like many birds, have two different sets of plumage. During the breeding season, adult murrelets are marbled gray-brown, providing excellent camouflage at their nests. In winter, feathers are black above, white and gray below with white shoulder patches and a white throat. Juvenile birds resemble adults in winter plumage. Marbled Murrelets have a distinctive high pitched “keer, keer” call, making them easy to identify. Range and distribution: Marbled Murrelets live in a narrow band along the Pacific coast of North America, from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska through British Columbia, Washington, Oregon to central California. Over 85% of the world’s population of Marbled Murrelets resides in Alaska. Murrelets are generally found in near-shore waters (within 3 miles from the coast) with nesting areas nearby. Some birds may venture miles inland to suitable nesting habitat. While some murrelets remain at breeding areas year-round, others migrate further south.
    [Show full text]