2001-2002 Marbled Murrelet Surveys: Summary San Juan Island National Historical Park, Friday Harbor, Washington

Farris, Annie; Hall, Shelley

Surveys were conducted for Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) within National Park Service land on San Juan Island during the 2001 and 2002 nesting seasons. Relatively high numbers of birds are found on the water in the San Juan Islands, particularly in some locations- such as the southern end of Lopez Island. However, murrelet use of forested areas of the San Juans is not as prevalent. There are many potential contributing factors. One is the lack of extensive suitable habitat—the San Juan Islands have seen logging and very little to no old growth forest remains throughout the islands. Areas with potential suitable habitat are small in size and might present edge effect situations. The elusive, secretive nature and general natural history of Marbled Murrelets also make them difficult to study. In 1999 Shelley Hall, wildlife biologist and murrelet specialist from Olympic National Park and Bill Ritchie, wildlife biologist and murrelet specialist from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife completed an assessment of suitable habitat for marbled murrelets within San Juan Island NHP. They prioritized suitable habitat areas and came up with four different survey sites. two at American Camp and two at English Camp. Surveys were conducted during the 2001 and 2002 breeding seasons, following the Pacific Seabird Group Inland Survey protocol. In 2001, one audio detection was recorded at Jakle's Lagoon; this may have been a bird on the water. There is a possibility that murrelets are nesting at one or more of the San Juan sites and we simply didn't detect them. However, we had good geographic coverage of the stands, adequate survey station placement, and conducted 11 to 14 survey visits per site each year. Therefore, we can be reasonably certain that had murrelets been present we would have detected them. US Fish and Wildlife Service recommends repeating protocol survey efforts again in five years.