Marbled Murrelet Redwoods

The league s shady dell property was a busy place on monday.

Marbled murrelet redwoods.

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. And about that arcane nickname even though scientists didn t know that marbled murrelets lived up in the old redwood trees before the early 1970s. 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. Yet even though the state s remaining old growth redwood trees are now protected the murrelets continue to disappear.

These stocky little birds dive for zooplankton and fish using their wings to fly underwater. Marbled murrelets are long lived seabirds that spend most of their life in the marine environment but use old growth forests for nesting. Old growth and second growth conifer forest dominated by coastal redwoods cover the majority of the parks area. In this way the endangered species act has helped protect old growth redwoods since marbled murrelets were listed in 1992.

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. It nests in old growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow. 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 variety of flycatchers warblers thrushes jays woodpeckers and owls can be found here.

A marbled murrelet. However larger unfragmented stands of old growth appear to be the highest quality habitat for marbled murrelet nesting. Mottled in milk chocolate brown during the summer adults change into stark black and white for winter. Throughout their range marbled murrelets are opportunistic feeders and utilize prey of diverse sizes and species.

The egg sucking chick eating steller s jay. Nesting stands are dominated by douglas fir in oregon and washington and by old growth redwoods in california. Courtship foraging loafing molting and preening occur in near shore marine waters. Marbled murrelets nest in oregon from mid april to mid september.

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. Marbled murrelets use their wings for swimming underwater reaching depths of 90 feet. Because they rely on old growth trees for.