Naturalists had generally focused their attention on collecting specimens of Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus pealei) and searching for the elusive eggs of the Marbled
Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) and other poorly known seabirds, particularly the Ancient
Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus).
Fish and Game opposed the plans because they did not contain any scientific information about the presence of species of concern, like the marbled
murrelet, in the harvest areas.
The Kittlitz's
Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is a broadly distributed but uncommon seabird species endemic to coastal Alaska and eastern Russia.
He recorded only two species: "immense numbers" of Heermann's gulls, of which he collected three specimens, and a single female of Craveri's
murrelet (Synthliboramphus craveri), which he collected along with its two eggs (Streets, 1877:26; Bowen, 2013).
Kittlitz's
murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is a small, rare seabird of the Northern Pacific with a declining population.
Who would guess that a tiny seabird with webbed feet, the marbled
murrelet, nests more than 300 feet up in the trees of old-growth forests along the west coast?
"Seabird in the Forest: The Mystery of the Marbled
Murrelet" is a beautifully illustrated nature book about the nesting patterns and life cycle of a marbled
murrelet, a tiny seabird of the Northwest American coast whose nesting habitat was first discovered in 1974.
Four species of ice sea - ringed, bearded, harp and ribbon Four species of whale - grey, beluga, bowhead and narwhal Sea butterfly Three species of seabirds - Kittlitz's
murrelet, spectacled eider and ivory gull Caribou/reindeer Musk ox (ANI)
Over two million seabirds of almost thirty species nest along the California, Oregon, and Washington coasts, including three species listed as threatened and endangered: the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), the California least tern (Sterna antillarum browni), and the marbled
murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus)(Bonnell and Dailey 1993).
A discussion of climate change and wildlife in Alaska would be incomplete without mention of two unusual bird species also associated strongly with ice: the threatened spectacled eider (Somateria fischeri), which winters within the pack ice in shallow waters of the northern Bering Sea, and the Kittlitz's
murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris), a small seabird that visits nearshore waters in summer and is associated with tidewater glaciers.
The owl and
murrelet weighed heavily on the minds of local residents too, but in a different sense.