State Trust Lands Habitat Conservation Plan
Marbled Murrelet Breeding Ecology
Inland surveys to document marbled murrelet occupancy of forest stands have been conducted for a decade. However, very little work has been done on murrelet marine movement and nest selection. In 2000, Washington State had only 11 known murrelet nests. Information on the nest site 
characteristics and the way murrelets utilize the marine and forested landscape will be invaluable in developing our long-term conservation strategy for murrelets. This project uses radio telemetry to:
- locate and track murrelet travels throughout the breeding season
- document nest sites
- conduct detailed research on the survival, nest success, foraging behavior, and genetic makeup of murrelets found in Washington marine waters
Project Status: Initiated in 2003 with a test of murrelet capture methodology; full implementation of the project took place in the spring 2004 and concluded in 2007.
Relation to HCP: Determines whether certain breeding sites are more important to the population than others and, if so, identify the conditions that influence these differences
Principal Investigators: Dr. Martin Raphael and Tom Bloxton, USDA Forest Service, PNW Research Station, Olympia Forestry Sciences Laboratory; Richard Bigley, WA Department of Natural Resources
More Information:
Bloxton, T. D., Jr. and M. G. Raphael. 2005. Breeding Ecology of the Marbled Murrelet in Washington State: 2005 Season Summary. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. Olympia, WA. Unpublished report.
Bloxton, T. D., Jr. and M. G. Raphael. 2004. Breeding Season Movements of Radio-Tagged Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington. USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Olympia, WA. Poster.
Photo credit: Tom Hamer