Tracking marbled murrelets on Haida Gwaii: GPS tagging, nesting, and forest-ocean conservation

Overview

Marbled murrelets, small seabirds renowned for their inland forest nesting, are the focus of a field study in Haida Gwaii. Researchers work in close partnership with the Council of the Haida Nation and Environment and Climate Change Canada to understand how these birds connect marine foraging with terrestrial nesting sites. The team uses a combination of GPS tracking, diet analysis, environmental DNA, and nest searches to map where murrelets forage, what they eat, and where they nest.

Key insights

• The study documents the first marbled murrelet nest recorded on Haida Gwaii in more than 30 years, highlighting the island’s conservation significance.
• GPS tagging reveals foraging ranges and movement patterns that link ocean habitats with inland canopy nests.
• Diet analysis and environmental DNA help identify preferred marine foraging habitats and potential shifts in prey availability.
• Findings emphasize the need to protect old-growth forests and forage fish to conserve murrelet populations under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

Original publisher: Nature.

Overview

This feature follows a field team as they study the marbled murrelet, a seabird that spends part of its life at sea and part inland nesting high in the canopy. In northern British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii, researchers collaborate with the Council of the Haida Nation and Environment and Climate Change Canada to unravel how these birds connect the marine and forest environments they depend on. The work aims to map where murrelets forage, what they eat, and where they nest by integrating GPS tracking, diet analysis, environmental DNA (eDNA), and nest searches.

Methods and Collaboration

The research employs GPS tagging on murrelets using lightweight, back-mounted devices affixed with waterproof tape. The tags are designed to shed naturally as the birds moult their feathers, allowing for subsequent data retrieval. GPS data are downloaded each morning to reconstruct the birds’ movements and identify foraging grounds, roosts, and travel routes. Diet is assessed through fecal and water samples, while environmental DNA provides additional clues about the birds’ marine prey communities. Nest searches begin at sea at night, with teams using spotlights to locate birds resting on the water, capturing them in long-handled nets, and tagging them for tracking. Inland searches focus on trees with characteristics murrelets favor, including moss-covered, broad branches and open flight paths through the canopy. The fieldwork highlights the critical role of partnerships with Indigenous communities in Haida Gwaii, alongside federal agencies, to conduct this trans-ecosystem research.

Nesting and Habitat

Unlike most seabirds, murrelets do not nest on cliffs. Each spring they fly inland, sometimes over 80 kilometres, to ancient forests where they lay a single egg on broad, moss-covered branches high in the canopy. Nest locations are chosen to minimize predation and maximize access to feeding grounds, with adults making dawn and dusk flights that reduce detectability. The team’s inland searches identify trees with suitable nesting platforms and open flight paths, while tracking data help confirm the birds’ inland nesting locations.

Findings and Significance

During the summer field season, researchers recorded the first murrelet nest on Haida Gwaii in more than three decades, a landmark discovery for the island’s conservation status and the broader understanding of murrelet distribution. The study also documents multiple inland flights and daily commutes that bring foraged fish into the forest to feed a single chick, underscoring the intimate link between marine productivity and forest nesting success. The researchers stress that changes in ocean conditions and the loss of old-growth nesting habitat have historically limited murrelet reproduction, making this kind of integrated research essential for effective conservation planning.

Threats and Conservation Implications

Over the last century, the decline of old-growth forests across British Columbia has reduced nesting habitat, while shifts in forage fish populations have affected murrelet food resources. As a result, the species is listed as threatened under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. The Haida Gwaii nest discovery amplifies the call for cross-ecosystem management that protects both nesting trees and marine foraging habitats, ensuring murrelets can complete their land-sea life cycle. The work exemplifies how combining terrestrial and marine data can illuminate the full ecology of a species under threat and guide targeted conservation actions.

Field Work and Community Engagement

Visuals from the field depict stewardship technicians and researchers moving through dense forest, riverine camps, and early-morning beach approaches, guided by Haida Nation stewardship objectives. The project situates scientific discovery within Indigenous stewardship, recognizing Haida knowledge and leadership as central to habitat protection and long-term murrelet monitoring. The team’s nightly ocean expeditions, inland nest searches, and imminent data analyses collectively advance understanding of murrelet ecology and contribute to a foundation for policy and habitat protection decisions.

Concluding Perspective

The research presents a powerful example of how interdisciplinary approaches—combining tracking, diet, genetics, and nest searching—can reveal the critical connections between sea and forest ecosystems. By documenting Haida Gwaii’s murrelet nesting on the island for the first time in decades, the study reinforces the urgency of preserving old-growth forests and the marine environments murrelets rely on, and it underscores the value of Indigenous partnerships in advancing science and conservation.