Tracking the migration pathways of post-breeding Common Murres

A project of Atlantic Seabird Tracking in conjunction with the partners and sponsors detailed below.

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Introduction

Following departure from natal colonies, male Common Murres (Uria aalge) accompany their flightless fledgling at sea for up to 3 months. During this period, the adults also undergo simultaneous molt of their flight-feathers and are rendered flightless. Male-fledgling pairs may utilize ‘nursery areas’ where there is predictable, abundant food and a lack of avian predators. Flightless murres are vulnerable to pollution and disturbance, but the migration pathways and location(s) of nursery areas in the NW Atlantic in relation to industrial activities are not known. We investigated the post-breeding migration of flightless male-fledgling murre pairs using satellite transmitters (Wildlife Computers; 18 g). Four adult males were equipped with external tags at the species’ largest colony (Funk Island) during departure with their fledgling, August 2009. Information on marine bird migration and habitat utilization gleaned from satellite telemetry and longer-term geolocation devices provide important new information on the overlap of marine animals with industrial activities that can inform conservation and management decisions.