Marbled Murrelet Redwoods

If you are in the parks in the summertime before the sun comes up you may even hear or see the elusive endangered marbled murrelet brachyramphus marmoratus.

Marbled murrelet redwoods.

The marbled murrelet brachyramphus marmoratus is a small seabird from the north pacific it is a member of the auk family. These stocky little birds dive for zooplankton and fish using their wings to fly underwater. However larger unfragmented stands of old growth appear to be the highest quality habitat for marbled murrelet nesting. The close association of the marbled murrelet and old growth coastal forests and the science and conservation work done make the murrelets truly an iconic bird in redwood national and state parks.

A marbled murrelet. Marbled murrelets are long lived seabirds that spend most of their life in the marine environment but use old growth forests for nesting. The league s shady dell property was a busy place on monday. Because they rely on old growth trees for.

Nesting stands are dominated by douglas fir in oregon and washington and by old growth redwoods in california. Marbled murrelets nest in oregon from mid april to mid september. A variety of flycatchers warblers thrushes jays woodpeckers and owls can be found here. Armed with binoculars and aerial photo maps four league staff members were joined by a couple of staff from the department of fish and wildlife and a pair of consultants to search for potential nest sites for the marbled murrelet.

Yet even though the state s remaining old growth redwood trees are now protected the murrelets continue to disappear. Saving the marbled murrelet in 1974 at california s big basin redwood state park the marbled murrelet the enigma of the pacific won the distinction of being the last bird species in the united states to have its nesting site discovered. Its habit of nesting in trees was suspected but not documented until a tree climber found a chick in 1974 making it one of the last north american bird species to have its nest. A seabird that s also a forest bird the marbled murrelet fishes along the foggy pacific coast then flies inland to nest in mossy old growth trees.

In this way the endangered species act has helped protect old growth redwoods since marbled murrelets were listed in 1992. Marbled murrelets use their wings for swimming underwater reaching depths of 90 feet. It nests in old growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow. Throughout their range marbled murrelets are opportunistic feeders and utilize prey of diverse sizes and species.

Old growth and second growth conifer forest dominated by coastal redwoods cover the majority of the parks area. Courtship foraging loafing molting and preening occur in near shore marine waters. Because marbled murrelets are a legally threatened species logging activities are restricted in areas of redwood forest with known marbled murrelet nesting sites or even potential nest sites.