Figure 2.13. Changes in 

 whole-colony counts for common 

 murres in northern Washington, 

 1979-1 995 (see Appendix H). 



= 

 B 

 o 



35 - 



30 



25- 



20 



15 



10 



BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF THE COMMON MURRE 61 

 Northern Washington 



1978 1980 1982 1984 



1986 1988 

 Year 



1990 1992 1994 1996 



photographs taken from boats (J. K. Parrish, personal 

 communication). In 1 995, a USFWS aerial count of 1 ,705 

 birds was obtained on 27 July, corresponding to an 

 estimate of 2,800 breeding birds. This estimate is similar 

 to the 1 995 ground-based estimate of 3,270 breeding 

 birds (J. K. Parrish, personal communication). In 

 Washington, Tatoosh Island is currently the only murre 

 colony where murre reproduction has been studied, and 

 is the only colony for which there is evidence of 

 consistent breeding (Parrish 1996). However, murres on 

 this colony have recently experienced adult deaths and 

 reduced reproductive success because of predation and 

 harassment by bald eagles (Parrish 1995; Parrish and 

 Paine 1996). The peregrine falcon population also has 

 increased along the outer coast of Washington (Wilson 

 et al. 2000) and may affect murre colonies (Parrish 1995). 



Limited increase in the northern Washington 

 population occurred after the severe 1 982-83 El Nino, 

 in contrast to a lack of recovery in southern Washington. 

 Both areas apparently have been subjected to similar 

 problems (i.e., human disturbance, deaths from gill-net 

 fishing and oil spills, reduced colony attendance during 

 El Ninos and other warm water events, and possible 

 impacts from climate change). The large and sustained 

 increase in murres attending Tatoosh Island indicated 

 that immigration has contributed to the growth of this 

 northern Washington colony along with the return of 

 first-time breeders natal to Tatoosh colonies (Parrish 

 1995). This rapid increase of the Tatoosh complex and 

 increase at the Carroll-Jagged complex in the early to 

 mid-1980s occurred at the same general time as the 



marked declines at both southern and other northern 

 Washington murre colonies. 



Overall, the murre population in Washington 

 significantly declined between 1979 and 1995, with 

 the steepest rate of decline occurring between 1 979 and 

 1986. Colony attendance dropped most dramatically 

 during the severe 1982-83 El Nino. Recovery after this 

 event has been poor because of the effects of additional 

 El Ninos, continued chronic gill net and oil spill 

 associated deaths, and disturbance from military practice 

 bombing and low aircraft overflights through 1992. 

 Since northern Washington constituted only 14% of 

 breeding murres in Washington prior to 1983, the small 

 relative increases in northern Washington from 1984 to 

 1 995 have not significantly changed the status of the 

 common murre in Washington to date. 



British Columbia 



Historical Background on Breeding Colonies 

 in British Columbia, 1900-1979 



Historical records for murre colonies in British 

 Columbia are scarce and mostly anecdotal. Early in the 

 twentieth century, large colonies were reported on 

 Triangle Island at the northwest tip of Vancouver Island 

 and on the west coast of Graham Island in the Queen 

 Charlotte Islands. Smaller colonies were reported on 

 the west coast of Vancouver Island at Solander Island 

 and near Ucluelet (Figures 2.14 and 2.15; Brooks and 

 Swarth 1925;Taverner 1928). Subsequent breeding was 



