Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (Newport, Oregon) hosts one of the largest and most accessible concentrations of breeding seabirds along the Oregon coast. More than 50,000 common murres (Uria aalge) may breed on the rocky cliffs and islands in some years and are easily visible from viewpoints near the site’s historic lighthouse. Pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba), Western gulls (Larus occidentalis), pelagic and Brandt’s cormorants (Urile pelagicus and U. penicillatus, respectively), and black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) all breed alongside the murres at this spectacular concentration of marine life.

For 22 years since 1998 (1998-2002, 2007-present), researchers have monitored the reproductive success of murres and other seabirds breeding at Yaquina Head. The accessibility of the site and consistency of researcher’s monitoring efforts over the years have enabled us to produce an invaluable, long-term data set. We’ve been able to document significant variation in the reproductive success, diet, and provisioning rates of Yaquina Head seabirds over the years due to variable ocean conditions and increasing predation pressures from bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). These powerful birds prey on adult murres but also create panic amongst the breeding seabirds, thereby enabling gulls (Larus spp.), ravens (Corvus corax), and other smaller predators to feast on unguarded murre eggs and chicks. Breeding seabirds must face a host of limiting factors – from food shortages to hungry predators – in order to breed successfully. With seabirds among the most threatened groups of bird species globally, more information is needed on the factors regulating seabird populations. Yaquina Head can therefore act as a unique “living laboratory” to study the impacts of these factors on Oregon’s breeding seabirds.

If you’re interested in receiving updates on the Yaquina Head seabird colony during the summer monitoring season, email Will Kennerley (subject: Yaquina Head updates) to be added to our mailing list. Updates will also appear on our lab blog: From the Top.

This figure shows the trends in the reproductive success anomaly over time. The 0 line represents the long-term mean and values above zero represent years where success was higher than average, while values below zero represent years where the murres fared poorly. 

 

 

 

 

 

Collaborators & Funding:
Bureau of Land Management

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Environment for the Americas

NOAA National Seabird Program

OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center NSF-REU 

 

Publications and Reports:

Piatt JF, Parrish JK, Renner HM, Schoen SK, Jones T, Arimitsu ML, Kuletz KJ, Bodenstein B, Garcia-Reyes M, Duerr RS, Corcoran RM, Kaler RSA, McChesney GJ, Golightly RT, Coletti HA, Suryan RM, Burgess HK, Lindsey J, Lindquist K. 2020. Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016. PLoS ONE 15:e0226087

Horton, C.A. and R.M. Suryan. 2012. California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus): A new disturbance source to breeding common murres (Uria aalge) in Oregon? Oregon Birds 38:84-88. 

Gladics, A.J., R.M. Suryan, R.D. Brodeur, L.M. Segui, L.Z. Filliger. 2014. Constancy and change in marine predator diets across a shift in oceanographic conditions in the Northern California Current. Marine Biology 161(4): 837-851, doi: 10.1007/s00227-013-2384-4.

State of the California Current Reports:

Thompson, A. R., et al. 2017. State of the California Current 2016-2017: Still anything but "normal" in the north and getting interesting in the south. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports 58:1-55. 

McClatchie et al. 2016. State of the California Current 2015-2016: Comparisons with the 1997-98 El Niño. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports 57:1-57

Leising et al. 2015. State of the California Current 2014-2015: Impacts of the warm-water “Blob”. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports 56:31-68.

Leising et al. 2014. State of the California Current: El Nino Looming. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports 55:51-87.

Wells et al. 2013. State of the California Current 2012-2013: No such thing as an “average” year. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Reports 54:37-71.

Bjorkstedt, E. et al. 2012. State of the California Current 2011–2012: Ecosystems respond to local forcing as La Niña wavers and wanes. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Report 53:41-76.

Annual Yaquina Head Seabird Colony Monitoring Reports:

Porquez J, et al. 2018- 2021.  Yaquina Head Seabird Colony Monitoring.  End of season summary report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. LINK TO PDFs, 2018, 2019, 2020,

Suryan, R.M. et al. 2007-2017.  Yaquina Head Seabird Colony Monitoring.  End of season summary report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. LINK TO PDFs, 20072009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. 2015, 2016, 2017