Friends of the Marbled Murrelet

11/09/2023

An endangered elusive, young seabird was found on the ground in one of its harshest habitats–the Santa Cruz mountains–where they and the redwoods they rely on are both at the end of their range. Read the story of this rare encounter and how monitoring marbled murrelets in the redwoods can support these dwindling species where they bear the brunt of climate change impacts and how you can help.

An endangered elusive, young seabird was found on the ground in one of its harshest habitats–the Santa Cruz mountains–where they and the redwoods they rely on are both at the end of their range. Read the story of this rare encounter and how monitoring marbled murrelets in the redwoods can suppor...

12/23/2022

Watch this short video to learn about the amazing life of the marbled murrelet, an endangered sea bird that nests in old-growth redwood trees, and how you can protect it and other wildlife by being crumb clean when visiting California State Parks.

Watch this short video to learn about the amazing life of the marbled murrelet, an endangered sea bird that nests in old-growth redwood trees, and how you ca...

12/02/2022

Evidence of endangered marbled murrelets in our protected Santa Cruz Moutains forests!

That, friends, is evidence of endangered marbled murrelets in our protected forests!

When the CZU wildfire burned 86,500 acres, including the first ever recorded location of a marbled murrelet’s nest–in Big Basin Redwoods State Park–it was feared it could be a major if not final blow to the already endangered seabird’s presence in the Santa Cruz mountains.

Remarkably, marbled murrelet “keers” were detected by audio recording units at 3 out of 5 locations we monitored this year.

Get the full story: https://sempervirens.org/news/monitoring-wildlife/ -murrelets

📉 marbled murrelet calling bout spectrogram from Sempervirens Fund’s audio recording units, by Conservation Metrics

10/16/2021

One year after wildfire swept through 97% of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, a Marbled Murrelet nest was discovered, indicating that even one of the most sensitive species can be resilient in the face of change. The forest continues to heal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFwWJArx_1I

One year after wildfire swept through 97% of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, a Marbled Murrelet nest was discovered, indicating that even one of the most sens...

09/14/2021

First flight of a rare Marbled Murrelet chick in Big Basin Redwoods State Park

First flight of a rare Marbled Murrelet chick in Big Basin State Park

06/03/2021

Threatened and endangered wildlife in the redwoods - a brief look at some of the fascinating species struggling to bounce back, including the Marbled Murrelet, Northern Spotted Owl, Humboldt Marten, Point Arena Mountain Beaver, Coho and Chinook Salmon, Pacific Fisher, California Condor.

From Save the Redwoods League

As controversy erupted in recent months over the protected status of the northern spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest, it was another reminder that

04/27/2021

Murrelets and Redwoods: the Marvels and Mystery of a Rare Seabird - today April 27, 2021 at 1pm

Join Portia Halbert, California State Parks Environmental Scientist, to learn about the marvelous and mysterious marbled murrelet, an endangered seabird that prefers to nest in the canopies of old-growth trees such as redwoods here in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Register

Here are the upcoming webinars: April 27: Portia Halbert, California State Parks Environmental Scientist | Murrelets and Redwoods: the Marvels and Mystery of a Rare Seabird May 25: Chris Wilmers, Ph.D., Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UC Santa Cruz | Pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains...

03/29/2021

Murrelets and Redwoods: the Marvels and Mystery of a Rare Seabird | Webinar April 27, 2021

Join Portia Halbert, California State Parks Environmental Scientist, to learn about the marvelous and mysterious marbled murrelet, an endangered seabird that prefers to nest in the canopies of old-growth trees such as redwoods here in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Here are the upcoming webinars: March 30: Amy Patten, Rare Plant Treasure Hunt Manager | Treasure Hunting in the Santa Cruz Mountains: Fire Followers and Rare Plants (Sponsored by Stadia Capital Group) April 27: Portia Halbert, California State Parks Environmental Scientist | Murrelets and Redwoods:...

03/23/2021

Searching for the most elusive bird in the Northwest

Marbled murrelets have long been a mystery to science. But now their survival and the fate of millions of acres of coastal forests depend on discovering what these seabirds need to survive.

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/08/searching-for-the-most-elusive-bird-in-the-northwest/

Marbled murrelets have long been a mystery to science. But now their survival and the fate of millions of acres of coastal forests depend on discovering what these seabirds need to survive.

03/07/2021

The Audubon Field Guide to the Marbled Murrelet

Brachyramphus marmoratus. 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.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/marbled-murrelet

National Audubon Society

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation.

07/28/2020

The protection of the marbled murrelet and its habitat is a project of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Learn more at openspace.org.

04/24/2020

The marbled murrelet is an endangered species with habitats in the old growth redwoods.

From CA State Parks:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AwyaaDuNCnU&list=PLqRIV1J_ahInuSSgtua46u--erSgG47_h&index=3&t=0s

This short video on the Marbled Murrelet previews the impact your food has on park wildlife.