{"id":21906,"date":"2021-09-17T08:07:24","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T15:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sempervirens.org\/?p=21906"},"modified":"2024-01-17T18:08:21","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T02:08:21","slug":"a-marbled-murrelet-fledges-from-big-basin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sempervirens.org\/news\/a-marbled-murrelet-fledges-from-big-basin\/","title":{"rendered":"A Marbled Murrelet Fledges from Big Basin"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Mysterious Murrelet<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1992, the marbled murrelet is a rare and elusive seabird, under threat by oil spills, unsustainable fishing, and onshore habitat loss. Marbled murrelets are small and chunky\u2014they\u2019re often described as a flying potato with a beak. For more than half the year, birds sport greyish feathers with black-dipped wings and heads; during breeding season, adults turn a mottled brown. Marbled murrelets fly over the redwoods at dawn and at dusk\u2014en route to the ocean to catch fish, or to their hidden nests, often found in complex old-growth redwood canopies. Learn more about the marvels and mystery of the marbled murrelet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Remarkable Discovery<\/h4>\n

Murrelet habitat was feared to be decimated by the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex wildfires, as many crown fires among old-growth coast redwoods and Douglas fir trees cleared out canopies of their protective cover. But in July 2021, deep in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, a researcher happened upon a murrelet nest. What happened next had never been caught on film before. Watch:<\/p>\n