64 USGS/BRD/ITR-2000-0012 



subsequent visits from 1972 to 1979 (R. W. Campbell, 

 unpublished data). 



Solander Island is a large seabird colony on the 

 northwest coast of Vancouver Island and contains much 

 suitable breeding habitat (Figure 2.15). However, 

 breeding murres were not observed in 1954, 1975, 1988, 

 or 1989 (Guiguet 1955; Beebe 1960; Drent and Guiguet 

 1961; Campbell 1976; Rodway and Lemon 1990). We 

 have classified Solander Island as a long-inactive colony, 

 based on available habitat and historic reference as a 

 breeding colony, but without details (Brooks and Swarth 

 1925). Although 20 murres were noted flying around 

 Solander Island on 27 June 1975 (R. W. Campbell, 

 unpublished data), these birds probably were not 

 attending potential nesting areas. 



A large murre colony on the west coast of Graham 

 Island in the northern Queen Charlotte Islands was 

 reported by Haida native people from Masset (Brooks 

 and Swarth 1925). Three large seabird colonies (i.e., 

 Langara, Frederick, and Hippa islands) with some 

 breeding habitat exist along this coast, but breeding 

 murres were not reported in 1927, 1946-47, 1952, 1955- 

 58, 1970-71, 1977, or 1981-88 (Darcus 1930; Beebe 

 1960; Drent and Guiguet 1961; Campbell and Garrioch 

 1979; Rodway et al. 1994; C. J. Guiguet, unpublished 

 field notes; S. G. Sealy, personal communication). Large 

 numbers of murres were reported off Langara Island and 

 along the north coast of Graham Island during summer 

 of 1927, 1946-47, and 1952 (Darcus 1930; C. J. Guiguet, 

 unpublished field notes). At Langara Island, Darcus 

 ( 1 930) further noted no murre colonies. On 4 July 1 946, 

 C. J. Guiguet (unpublished field notes) noted "six 

 California murres sitting on the rocks below the 

 lighthouse, near sea. This is the first time I've observed 

 these birds on land here". On 18 May 1947, he noted ". 

 . . I have no clues on nesting of these birds in this area". 

 A female with a fully developed egg was collected near 



Langara on 19 July 1930 (Gumming 1931; Munro and 

 Cowan 1 947). We have treated Langara Island as "rocks 

 attended without confirmed breeding." We presume that 

 accounts of large numbers of murres at sea off northern 

 Graham Island during the summer were related to the 

 large colony at nearby Forrester Island in southeastern 

 Alaska (Figure 2.14) that has been documented since 

 1914 (Willett 1915; Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959; 

 DeGangeetal. 1977; Sowlsetal. 1978; Slater 1997). In 

 fact, Haida natives may have meant this colony in their 

 original report. Osgood (1901) presumed breeding at 

 the Skedans Islands off the east coast of Moresby Island 

 but breeding was never confirmed subsequently. 



Breeding was first confirmed on the Kerouard 

 Islands at the south end of the Queen Charlotte Islands 

 in 1977 (Campbell and Garrioch 1979). This colony 

 represents the northern limit of the known breeding 

 range of the subspecies U. a. californica, and is the 

 only confirmed common murre colony in northern 

 British Columbia between Triangle Island and Forrester 

 Island in Alaska. Although breeding was not confirmed, 

 10 murres were noted on land on 5 August 1977 at the 

 northwest rocks at Anthony Island, north of the 

 Kerouard Islands (R. W. Campbell, unpublished data; 

 H. R. Carter, personal observation). On 3 and 4 June 

 1 982, three birds were flushed from inaccessible cliffs 

 (Rodway et al. 1990a; M. S. Rodway, personal 

 observation). No murres were seen there in 1985 or 1986. 

 In addition, 40 murres were sighted on an unnamed 

 rock ("Cone" Islet) on the west coast of Moresby Island 

 in 1977 (BCNRS; Rodway 1991). Rough weather 

 prevented a close inspection of the rock to confirm 

 breeding in 1977 and the site has not yet been revisited. 



Table 2.7. Summary of most-recent surveys of common murres at colonies in British Columbia, 1 977-1 997. 



