Pacific Southwest Research Station

Pacific Southwest Research Station
800 Buchanan Street
West Annex Building
Albany, CA 94710-0011

(510) 559-6300

Research TopicsWildlife & Fish: Bird Monitoring

Offshore Monitoring Methods for Marbled Murrelets

The Marbled Murrelet is elusive in its terrestrial environment, and offshore monitoring has been determined to be the best method to monitor the population (Madsen et al 1999). We started surveying Marbled Murrelets in the marine environment in 1989. We have used both land-based and offshore monitoring, eventually focusing on and refining offshore survey methods.

In 2000, we worked with the Northwest Forest Plan Marbled Murrelet Monitoring Team (the Team) to develop the current offshore protocol (see Raphael et al. 2007). It is designed to monitor population estimates and trends with a standardized sampling design in California, Oregon, and Washington.

We are now working to incorporate our earlier offshore surveys (1989-1999) with the new survey design, in order to assess long-term trends of the murrelet population in northern California and southern Oregon.

Reproductive success is also best monitored at sea, as murrelet nests are difficult to find. In 1993, we developed methods to monitor productivity using offshore surveys (Ralph and Long 1995) and are working with the Team to standardize methods across their range. We are currently looking at differences in distribution between adult and juvenile murrelets at sea based on distance from shore (reflecting differences in water depth), habitat, and other factors.

Publications

• Ralph, C.J., G. Hunt, J. Piatt, and M. Raphael (Eds.). 1995. Ecology and conservation of the Marbled Murrelet. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-152. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 420 pp.
• Strachan, G., M. McAllister, and C.J. Ralph. 1995. Marbled Murrelet at-sea and foraging behavior. pp. 117-128 in Ecology and Conservation of the Marbled Murrelet. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-152. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Population monitoring

• Ralph, C.J. and S.L. Miller. 1995. Offshore population estimates of Marbled Murrelets in California. pp. 353-360 in Ecology and Conservation of the Marbled Murrelet. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-152. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Miller, S.L., C.J. Ralph, M.G. Raphael, C. Strong, C.W. Thompson, J. Baldwin, M.H. Huff, and G.A. Falxa. 2005. At-sea monitoring of Marbled Murrelet population status and trend in the Northwest Forest Plan area (abstract). Science and the Northwest Forest Plan - Knowledge gained over a decade. April 19-20, Portland, Oregon. (Power Point presentation)
• Bentivoglio, N., J. Baldwin, D. Evans-Mack, T. Max, S. Miller, S.K. Nelson, K. Ostrom, C. Ralph, M. Raphael, C. Strong, C. Thompson, R. Wilk. 2002. Northwest Forest Plan Marbled Murrelet effectiveness monitoring data summary report. Northwest Forest Plan Marbled Murrelet Effectiveness Monitoring Interagency Teams. Portland, Oregon.
• Huff, M.H., M.G. Raphael, S.L. Miller, S.K. Nelson, and J. Baldwin, tech. coords. 2006. Northwest Forest Plan - The first 10 years (1994-2003): Status and trends of populations and nesting habitat for the Marbled Murrelet. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-650. Portland, OR: Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Miller, S.L., C.J. Ralph, M.G. Raphael, C. Strong, C.W. Thompson, J. Baldwin, M.H. Huff, and G.A. Falxa. 2006. Chapter 3: At-sea monitoring of Marbled Murrelet population status and trend in the Northwest Forest Plan Area. Pp. 31-60 in M.H. Huff, M.G. Raphael, S.L. Miller, S.K. Nelson, and J.Baldwin, tech. coords. 2006. Northwest Forest Plan - The first 10 years (1994-2003): Status and trends of populations and nesting habitat for the Marbled Murrelet Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-650. Portland, OR: Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Raphael, M.G., J. Baldwin, G.A. Falxa, M.H. Huff, M. Lance, S. L. Miller, S.F. Pearson, C.J. Ralph, C. Strong, and C. Thompson. 2007. Regional population monitoring of the Marbled Murrelet: Field and analytical methods. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-716. U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR. 70 pp.

Productivity monitoring

• Ralph, C.J. and L.L. Long. 1995. Productivity of Marbled Murrelets in California from observations of young at sea. pp. 371-380 in Ecology and Conservation of the Marbled Murrelet. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-152. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Long, L.L., C.J. Ralph, and S.Miller. 2001. A new method for ageing Marbled Murrelets and the effect on productivity estimates. Pacific Seabirds 28(2):82-91.

Additional publications can be found in our Publications List .

Last modified by L.L. Long

Research Contact:

• C.J. Ralph