Hi all,
Unfortunately, this has not been the most successful breeding season the common murres at Yaquina Head. The sub-colony on Flat Top Rock collapsed as of July 11th; since then lab members consistently see that rock vacated because of bald eagle disturbances and gulls. On Colony Rock, chicks hatched in two plots located on the most southern regions of the rock. Of the chicks that hatched within our plots, 27 have already made it to fledging age (15 days from the first time the chick was sighted), with several due to fledge anytime now. Murre chicks fledge in the late evening and nighttime to avoid predators active during the day. The adult male will swim below the rock and loudly beckon for the chick to jump off the ledge. If you’re patient and lucky, you can see the chicks departing the colony if you watch the viewing decks below the lighthouse.
We are walking Cobble Beach and Agate Beach in search of common murre chick and adult carcasses that wash up on shore. The lab collects fresh carcasses for dietary stable isotope analysis to compliment the observational data identifying prey species consumed. Thus far only one chick and adult have been collected from Cobble Beach.
A total of three activity watches have taken place to observe chick feeding rate on Colony Rock. These surveys are from sunrise to sundown and closely monitor 10-12 nests and provide an indication of relative prey availability. Observers record when the adults leave and return to the nest, if the pair of adults exchange positions between foraging and guarding the chick, and when the chick is being fed. A higher feeding rate indicates that prey is more accessible to the birds. Tomorrow (July 29th) will be the last activity watch of the season. Come by the lighthouse observation deck to see what it’s all about!
SOL is grateful for the support of the many volunteers and Research Experience Undergraduate interns who withstood the cold, fog, and rain to assist in our observations.
Bird on!
- Lucila Fernandez
- Ian Throckmorton
- Jessica Porquez
- Alessandra Jimenez-Yap
- Amanda Gladics
- Rob Suryan