Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
Marine habitat use patterns of the Endangered Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in the central-southern Puget Sound Seabirds face a number of threats including human disturbances, pollution, and climate change. Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are particularly vulnerable to these impacts, as both terrestrial and marine environments are crucial for their survival. Listed as Endangered in Washington state and Threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service south of the US-Canada border, Marbled Murrelets are well-studied; however, relatively little is known about their distribution and marine habitat use patterns in the central and southern Puget Sound. We conducted shore and boat-based observations of Marbled Murrelets at three study sites near Tacoma (Browns Point Lighthouse, Gig Harbor Lighthouse, and Point Fosdick) from April through August 2021 to determine if persistent marine hotspots exist for marbled murrelets at these locations and characterize habitat use patterns. At the Browns Point Lighthouse site, we also measured boat traffic and conducted behavioral observations of murrelets to assess whether boat traffic caused noticeable disturbances. All three sites were used consistently for foraging by Marbled Murrelets throughout the breeding season, with birds observed through the end of July. Additionally, we mapped the distribution of foraging activity locations around Browns Point, with foraging occurring almost exclusively along the inshore area to the northwest of the lighthouse. Boat traffic did not appear to influence foraging behavior significantly. Our results indicate that there are multiple stable foraging hotspots for Marbled Murrelets in southern Puget Sound. Additionally, the consistent presence of Marbled Murrelets at these sites throughout the breeding season suggests that there is a previously undescribed population of these endangered seabirds in southern Puget Sound.
Session Title
Poster Session 2: The Salish Sea Food Web and Cycles of Life
Conference Track
SSE14: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-posters-186
Start Date
26-4-2022 4:30 PM
End Date
26-4-2022 5:00 PM
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Marine habitat use patterns of the Endangered Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in the central-southern Puget Sound
Marine habitat use patterns of the Endangered Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in the central-southern Puget Sound Seabirds face a number of threats including human disturbances, pollution, and climate change. Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are particularly vulnerable to these impacts, as both terrestrial and marine environments are crucial for their survival. Listed as Endangered in Washington state and Threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service south of the US-Canada border, Marbled Murrelets are well-studied; however, relatively little is known about their distribution and marine habitat use patterns in the central and southern Puget Sound. We conducted shore and boat-based observations of Marbled Murrelets at three study sites near Tacoma (Browns Point Lighthouse, Gig Harbor Lighthouse, and Point Fosdick) from April through August 2021 to determine if persistent marine hotspots exist for marbled murrelets at these locations and characterize habitat use patterns. At the Browns Point Lighthouse site, we also measured boat traffic and conducted behavioral observations of murrelets to assess whether boat traffic caused noticeable disturbances. All three sites were used consistently for foraging by Marbled Murrelets throughout the breeding season, with birds observed through the end of July. Additionally, we mapped the distribution of foraging activity locations around Browns Point, with foraging occurring almost exclusively along the inshore area to the northwest of the lighthouse. Boat traffic did not appear to influence foraging behavior significantly. Our results indicate that there are multiple stable foraging hotspots for Marbled Murrelets in southern Puget Sound. Additionally, the consistent presence of Marbled Murrelets at these sites throughout the breeding season suggests that there is a previously undescribed population of these endangered seabirds in southern Puget Sound.
