#murres

[pernine]

did anyone ever realise that i didnt quite leave, and i didnt quite stay?

alcid family reunion

[squashfolded]

Sabballey + murres

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Marbled Murrelet

Photo: Eric Ellingson

"A strange, mysterious little seabird. Although it is fairly common off the northern Pacific Coast, its nesting behavior was essentially unknown until the 1970s. In the Pacific Northwest, now known to nest high in trees in old-growth forest several miles inland from coast. Even where numerous, it is usually seen on the water in pairs or aggregations of pairs, not in large flocks; pairs flush from the water in front of approaching boats, fly away low with very rapid wingbeats."

- Audubon Field Guide

[noaasanctuaries]

Bird enthusiasts and watchers flock to Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary for the diverse seabird populations and help support recreational businesses along the coast.

The Seabird Protection Network was created to help reduce disturbances to these populations and other marine life. Join us in protecting the seabirds by letting them rest and sleep undisturbed. Seabirds react when people, boats, or aircraft get too close and interrupt natural behaviors, such as feeding, resting, or caring for chicks. Want to learn more? Check out https://farallones.noaa.gov/eco/seabird/. (Photo: Ron LeValley. Image description: An adult murre feeds its young.)

[protectrightwhales]

Newfoundland Oil Spill Largest in Province’s History

We have just released a new report on the oil spill that took place in Newfoundland back in November.  This is an important issue that unfortunately has not received the coverage it should, especially in the US. Many species, including North Atlantic right whales, are at risk from this spill and action must be taken to prevent these types of disasters from happening in the first place.

A group of thick-billed murres on a ledge in Scandinavia. Thick-billed murres have been affected by the spill and continue to be at risk. credit: Ron Knight via Wikimedia. full album available on Flickr

The largest oil spill in the history of the province of Newfoundland occurred 217 miles off the southeast coast of Saint John's, the capital of Newfoundland, on November 16, 2018. It happened at the SeaRose offshore oil rig owned by Husky Energy in the White Rose oilfield as they attempted to restart production during a brutal storm. Production had been shut down the day before on the 15th due to the storm, which was noted as being the most intense storm on the planet at that time, but the company recklessly and irresponsibly tried to start it back up even though there were still 28 foot high waves. 

Full Report: http://www.protectrightwhales.com/2018/12_13_newfoundland_oil_spill

[montereybayaquarium]

Think your spring cleaning is tough? Try scrubbing the rocks with a pair of murres supervising. Better not wing it!

It might be easy to mistake these seabirds for penguins, with their white bellies, dark heads and wings, and upright posture. But they’re actually common murres! Common murres are seabirds that spend eight or nine months of each year continuously at sea. Their short wings are perfect for diving and "flying" under water.

[thalassarche]

Common Guillemot / Common Murre (Uria aalge) - photo by Luc Vereecken

[usfwspacific]

Sick of Work and Loving It: Master’s Student Fights Seasickness to Study Murres at Oregon Islands Refuge

Article by Brent Lawrence / Public Affairs Officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region in Portland, Oregon

Some people’s stomachs turn at the thought of another day on the job. Stephanie Loredo is one of those people.

Stephanie, a graduate student in the Fisheries and Wildlife Department at Oregon State University, is finishing her master’s thesis on common murres. That thesis requires her to capture and tag murres off Yaquina Head on the Oregon Coast. How do you capture and tag these birds?

At night. On the Pacific Ocean. In a small boat. … And between bouts of wave-induced vomiting.

“I always get seasick, but have to do it for my thesis,” Stephanie said after the latest round of captures in August. “My advisor told me I don’t have to go every time, but I want to go. Every time I think it isn’t going to be as bad, but it’s been the worst the last two times. I always want to make sure everyone else on the boat knows what they’re doing before I go completely sick. I did get through 2½ birds this time before I lost it.”

Stephanie’s thesis is “Three-Dimensional Habitat-Use of Common Murres Off the Northern California Current.” It focuses on habitat use and diving activity of non-breeding murres under various ocean conditions.

The birds she is studying at Yaquina Head are nesting on offshore rocks that are part of Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There are 1,854 rocks, reefs, and islands along the Oregon coast that comprise the refuge, which was established on May 6, 1935, as a breeding ground for seabirds and marine mammals.

Most of Oregon’s estimated 1.2 million nesting seabirds use Oregon Islands Refuge as a place to raise their young, and Oregon’s seals and sea lions use the islands as a place to haul out and rest or to give birth to their pups.

Unfortunately, many of Oregon’s seabirds populations are not doing so well. The common murre is experiencing low reproduction at Yaquina Head, which has the largest murre colony on the West Coast. Stephanie’s research at this colony will help the Service better understand what is causing the decline in reproduction and what actions can be taken to remedy the situation.  In addition, the study will help biologists and the Service understand multiple variables that influence seabird populations and marine ecosystem conditions.

“We have worked with Oregon State University on several seabird projects. They are such an important resource, we want to be involved and figure out where the birds are going and what they’re eating. This is all good information,” said Shawn Stephensen, wildlife biologist for the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. “We have been using our boats, and Scott Neuman, our law enforcement officer, and I have been boat captains.”

What Stephanie is finding in the surveys is troubling. About 50,000 to 60,000 common murres currently nest at Yaquina Head annually. In 2010 and 2011, there were almost 90,000 murres breeding there. For the past three years, the murres have had “reproductive failure,” which means that zero chicks survived to fledging in the survey areas.

A single year of reproductive failure would be a blip on the radar for this relatively long-lived bird (15 to 20 years), but three consecutive years presents a big problem. Many of the tagged birds have left the colony and headed north to the Columbia River and to Washington’s Salish Sea, which is north of the Olympic Peninsula.

Stephanie and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are looking for the answer to “why?” Part of the problem appears to be the effectiveness of bald eagles and gulls at snatching young and eggs. However, there is a much more significant problem – a lack of food in the nearby ocean.

“Research vessels that survey fish are not seeing good food for birds off the Oregon Coast,” Stephanie said. “Some have described it as a desert out there because there’s not enough food for them. That explains why the dispersal is happening.”

Part of Stephanie’s work involves taking measurements (aka morphometrics), banding the bird’s leg, and suturing a tiny satellite tag to the bird’s back. From there they can begin tracking the bird’s movements, as well as getting dive and feeding information.

“Those tags are pretty small. At first we were using 15 gram tags, but now they’re only 5 grams,” Stephanie said. “Technology has been advancing fast with tags. We wanted them to be able to collect data for a longer time, so now they’re solar charged and can collect data for four months.”

The next step for Stephanie is to collect the data, analyze it and put it into her thesis.

Finishing her thesis and master’s degree will be a less queasy, landlocked affair, but it won’t provide the same level of excitement for Stephanie, who came to the United State from Peru when she was age 11.

“I love birds in general, and I hope to continue in avian conservation,” Stephanie said. “I love field work, so that’s what I want to do. I hope to go back to South America and find a project in Peru for my doctorate.”

If she attacks her future with the same passion as she does tagging birds on the cold, foggy Pacific Ocean, she’ll have a lot of success.

“She’s such a trooper,” Shawn said. “On the last trip, she would feel sick, throw up and get back to work. I don’t know how she did it.”