The Marbled Murrelet is one of the Redwood Coast's most distinctive birds and one the NPS calls elusive. It is a small seabird, about 10 inches long according to the National Park Service. It spends its days feeding at sea, but it nests on the limbs of old-growth conifers far from the water. Redwood National and State Parks are at the centre of its California range.
Status
The NPS says the murrelet was federally listed as threatened in California, Oregon and Washington in 1992, and that it is listed as endangered in California. The numbers explain why. The park service gives California's historical population as about 60,000 birds and its current population as about 4,000. Roughly 4,000 murrelets, "give or take a thousand," live offshore of Redwood National and State Parks. That makes up an estimated 75 to 90 percent of California's breeding population.
Nesting high above the forest floor
| Nesting fact (NPS) | Detail |
|---|---|
| Nest site | Limbs of old-growth conifers |
| Distance inland | 2 to 30 miles |
| Season | March to September |
| Clutch | One egg |
| Incubation | About one month |
| Fledging | About one more month |
With a single egg per nest and a state population the NPS puts at about 4,000 birds, nest losses matter.
The jay problem
The NPS identifies nest predation as a major cause of the murrelet's decline. The main predator is the Steller's Jay, with lesser effects from Common Ravens, Gray Jays and small forest mammals. The park service says the higher predation risk around campgrounds extends up to one kilometre beyond them. In response, the parks have run an education campaign aimed at stopping visitors from feeding wildlife, whether on purpose or by accident, and have changed campgrounds to reduce food waste.
When to look
- Season: late March until mid-September.
- Peak activity: mid-May through the end of July.
- Time of day: very early morning, from about half an hour before to half an hour after sunrise. The NPS birds page also notes the murrelet is "most likely heard or seen before sunrise in summer."
Listen as much as you look. The NPS describes the call as a "keer keer," somewhat like a robin heard at a distance.
Where to look
The NPS lists these viewing spots:
- Open meadows on lower Redwood Creek Trail
- The Lost Man Creek Trail trailhead parking lot
- Elk Meadow
- Elk Prairie
- Gravel bars on the Smith River near Jedediah Smith Campground
- Stout Grove
Arrive in the dark, stay on roads, trails and gravel bars, and keep noise down. See the sites guide and region map for how these spots fit into a wider trip.
Seeing murrelets at sea
The NPS estimate of about 4,000 murrelets offshore of the parks means they can also be looked for on the water. The NPS lists the coastal vantage points it recommends for seabirds: Endert's Beach Road, False Klamath Cove, Davison Road, Requa Road, Damnation Creek Trail and the Coastal Trail. A spotting scope helps. Audubon included the Marbled Murrelet among the birds of the original Redwood Coast birding trail.