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Common Murre Recovery project

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Leads Seabird Recovery Project

The Pacific Coast population of common murres, much less common following a 1986 oil spill, will benefit from an effort to reestablish a colony of these seabirds on Devil's Slide Rock, known locally as Egg Rock, off the coast of the San Francisco Peninsula. The project, funded by a natural resources damage settlement resulting from oil spilled by the barge "Apex Houston," seeks to reestablish breeding colonies of seabirds on coastal rocks in areas harmed by the spill.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists from San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, with scientists from the National Audubon Society, Humboldt State University and the National Biological Service, are beginning the first phase of this project. They have established a simulated colony of these seabirds, using decoys, mirrors, and a solar-powered sound system in hopes of attracting real murres to the site.

"We finished placing 388 murre decoys on the top of Devil's Slide Rock on Saturday,

January 13, " said wildlife biologist Mike Parker, "along with dozens of three-sided mirror boxes and a CD player that projects amplified murre sounds. Any murres fishing in the ocean near Devil's Slide Rock may be attracted by the sights and sounds, come closer, and even land among the ersatz seabirds. Our hope is that the decoys and the sounds will attract the birds and make the rock seem crowded, and that the murres will remain there long enough to happen upon mates and perhaps begin nesting."

The strategy is paying off. In less than 48 hours, four birds have arrived on the rock, seemingly fooled by the decoys, noises and mirrors. "The new arrivals are already displaying breeding behaviors, preening their potential mates and parading together back and forth." Such activity signals the beginning of pairing off and breeding, and Parker is optimistic that more birds will arrive and also begin courtship. "We want more murres to visit the rock. Right now, the birds are courting their own reflections as much as they are the other birds, but as more murres are attracted to the place real pair-bonds will be formed."

Parker is one of a team of professionals that has been involved in this project for the past several years. Following the oil spill in 1986, when the Apex Houston leaked over 25,000 gallons of oil along the San Mateo coast, approximately 9,000 seabirds were killed, wiping out breeding colonies on many offshore rocks. Five years of litigation finally resulted in the establishment of a trust fund that will pay for restoration, replacement or acquisition of equivalent resources injured by the spill.

Restoration sites were picked by a Trustee Council, comprised of representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The work on Devil's Slide Rock itself is being conducted by Parker of the Fish and Wildlife Service's San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex,, by Elizabeth McLaren and Sue Schubel of Humboldt State University, by Harry Carter of the National Biological Survey and by Dr. Steve Kress of the National Audubon Society. To establish the simulated murre colony, the team members launched their equipment-laden, inflatable boat at Pillar Point and cruised out to Devil's Slide Rock, 45 minutes away. A difficult climb, with ropes and other technical climbing gear got them 55 feet up to the top of the rock. Then they installed decoys and mirrors. Monitoring the colony is underway, from a mainland overlook.

The short-term goal is to establish 100 breeding pairs of common murres at Devil's Slide Rock and San Pedro Rock (also in San Mateo County). The first phase is off to a good start; time will tell whether the newly arrived birds advance to the next stage of courtship. "We hope to see them begin passing fish to each other," said biologist Parker. "That will indicate whether or not we are on the right track."

The destroyed murre colonies are not likely to be reestablished in the foreseeable future without human assistance. Colonies wiped out by other causes (e.g. egg collecting) at the turn of the century have still not reestablished themselves. Seabird colonies have been reestablished in Maine, however, with a combination of decoys and amplified sounds. It seems that common murres must be in the midst of a dense group of murres before they are stimulated to begin courtship and mating. An empty rock never has the threshold number of murres, so colonies rarely get going on their own.

The long-term goal of the project is to restore the common murre population size to pre-oil-spill levels. Restoring the population to a larger part of its historic range will make the common murre less vulnerable to future oil spills. With breeding colonies more spread out, a catastrophe along anyone section of the California coast will be less harmful to the population as a whole.

The project may take ten years or more to achieve success, because common murres have low reproductive rates and do not breed until they are several years old.

Success continues for seabird restoration project

Seabird biologists announced today the hatching of three common murre chicks in a restored breeding colony on Devil's Slide Rock, off the coast of the San Francisco Peninsula. A project to restore the colony of common murres has been underway since January, when 388 murre decoys, along with mirrors and CD players projecting amplified murre sounds, were placed on the rock to attract the seabirds. The original murre colony was wiped out as a result of an oil spill in 1986.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists from San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, with scientists from the National Audubon Society, Humboldt State University and the National Biological Service have been attempting to lure the highly colonial birds back to their breeding site using the decoys and sounds. The hope has been that common murres near Devil's Slide Rock would be attracted by the sights and sounds, come closer, and even land among the ersatz seabirds. If the decoys, mirrors and recorded bird calls made the rock seem crowded, the murres would possibly remain there long enough to happen upon mates and perhaps begin nesting. The decoys, mirrors and sounds are also necessary to discourage predation.

Results have been almost instantaneous ­ within two days there were four real murres interacting with one another among the decoys, and the number has increased to a high count of 21 birds on the island.

The birds have stayed on the island consistently during the pre-breeding season. There have been numerous attempts at courtship and breeding, and the first egg was sighted on May 26. To date, seven eggs have been confirmed. On June 20 the first chick was seen and on July 4 three chicks were observed at the site. Four of the eggs have perished.

This rapid recolonization and breeding is a happy surprise for the biologists on the project. Restoration projects are often slow affairs, as it is the young, pre-breeding birds who are most easily swayed to join a new colony and murres do not breed until 4-6 years of age. "We had not expected eggs to be laid or chicks to be hatched so quickly," said Mike Parker of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Most seabird restoration projects take many years to reach this stage." The quick response in the situation may be due to the fact that the colony disappeared only recently. There could still be surviving members of the original colony who stopped nesting and have returned now to their former colony.

The work on Devil's Slide Rock itself is being conducted by Mike Parker of the Fish and Wildlife Service's San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, by Elizabeth McLaren and Sue Schubel of Humboldt State University, by Harry Carter of the National Biological Service and by Dr. Steve Kress of the National Audubon Society.

The short-term goal of the project is to establish 100 breeding pairs of common murres at Devil's Slide Rock. The long-term goal is to restore the Central California common murre population to pre-oil-spill numbers. Restoring the population to a larger part of its historic range will make the common murre less vulnerable to future oil spills. With breeding colonies more spread out, a catastrophe along any one section of the California coast will be less harmful to the population as a whole.

This restoration project is funded by a court-approved settlement with the Apex Oil Company, charged under the Clean Water Act and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act with natural resource damage following the 1986 oil spill from its barge, the Apex Houston. The spill oiled beaches along the Central California coast from Point Reyes to Monterey and killed approximately 9,000 birds. A trustee council with representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administer the funds designated for restoration of the natural resources that were affected by the spill. According to Dan Welsh, Chairman of the Trustee Council, "This project demonstrates that trustee agencies working together can use oil spill settlement funds to restore the natural resources that are impaired by spills."

Students working to restore a seabird colony

Along the central California coast, a small offshore rock has become the center of attention for over 500 students. Third through seventh graders in Pacifica and Half Moon Bay are working with biologists to restore a common murre colony to Devil's Slide Rock.

The seabirds will benefit from efforts to reestablish the colony, a project funded by a natural resource damage settlement resulting from oil spilled by the Apex Houston barge in 1986. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists from San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, with scientists from the National Audubon Society, Humboldt State University Foundation and the National Biological Service are using murre decoys, three sided mirror boxes, and a CD player that projects amplified murre calls to attract the birds and make the rock appear to be a thriving murre colony.

The project began last January and the results have been very positive. Murres visited the rock, interacted with the decoys and mirrors, and, more importantly, with each other. There was a high count of 29 murres on the rock; six eggs were laid, and three chicks successfully fledged.

Beginning this fall, students became involved in the restoration project. A Seabird Restoration Education Program was approved and budgeted by the Apex Houston Trustee Council, made up of representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and California Department of Fish and Game. The education program is being coordinated by Amy Hutzel and Fran McTamaney, environmental education staff from the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The education program began with a workshop for the seventeen participating teachers, from six elementary schools in Pacifica, El Granada, Montara, and Half Moon Bay. The workshop was conducted by Amy and Fran, along with Mike Parker, a restoration biologist. Two refuge volunteers, Joan Telfer and Salvador Lopez, also attended the training and have become instrumental in the implementation of the program. The workshop provided teachers with background information about seabirds, field trip and classroom activity ideas, and teaching materials, including videos, a slide show, reference books, and activity guides.

Classroom presentations were conducted by refuge staff and volunteers after the workshop. Students were introduced to the restoration project and shown mirror boxes and decoys. Letters from the students indicated a strong interest in the project and in seabirds. In October, students were given the opportunity to participate in the restoration project after biologists had removed the 384 decoys from the rock and cleaned off the thick coating of guano. The decoys were in need of repainting, a perfect project for upper elementary students. The students took the repainting very seriously and have demonstrated a strong tie to the restoration project, anxiously waiting for the decoys to be placed back on the rock in December. Classes will be kept updated on the number of murres visiting the rock through the school year.

The excitement of connecting teachers, students, parents, biologists, and environmental educators has truly made the Seabird Restoration Education Program successful. Teachers have taken a strong interest in the project, conducting activities, making paper mache murre eggs, creating a web page, setting up seabird bulletin boards in the classrooms, recruiting parents to assist with decoy painting, and contacting local newspapers. Students have demonstrated incredible enthusiasm and knowledge, conducting seabird research, writing essays and letters, and creating wonderful artwork. The program will be repeated each year, until the goal of creating a murre colony is reached, an achievement the students can truly take pride in.

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