Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) are robin-sized seabirds that nest on moss covered branches in large old growth conifers (click on the image at left for a larger image). They are members of the Alcidae family which also includes puffins. Murrelets have short wings, large heads, short necks and tails, and compact bodies. Their plumage is black on top with white (winter) or mottled brown (summer) underparts. In flight, the wings beat rapidly and constantly, and their flight path is usually fast, straight, and deliberate. Their flight behavior is suggestive of a "flying potato." Swifts look similar in flight, also flying with fast wingbeats, but they periodically glide and often swerve when feeding. The fast (up to 60 miles per hour) flight of murrelets can be heard at close range as a jet sound and the birds also make vocal sounds (KEERS) like a highpitched seagull. While marbled murrelets feed and reside primarily in saltwater, they joumey inland up to 80 miles most often at dawn or dusk to bring fish to their lone chick between mid-May and September. This species ranges from Alaska to California and it was listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in September 1992.
If you see one of these rare birds, please record as much information about what you saw as possible, such as: date, location, time of day, direction and behavior of flight, distance above the forest canopy, distance between you and the bird, vocalization, and number of birds seen. Please contact the park at (360) 569-2211, or report your sighting to a park ranger at any park visitor center.