Common Murre Nesting Ledge Creation

The Farallon Islands, located 28 miles west of San Francisco, are home to one of the largest and most important colonies of Common Murres on the west coast of North America south of Alaska. The goal of this project is to create Common Murre nesting habitat on Southeast Farallon Island, a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, which is capable of supporting 200-400 breeding murres.

In 2006, construction began on the framework for a man-made concrete wall and observation blind made of recycled materials. The wall will include various nesting ledges that can be used by up to 400 breeding Common Murres. A stainless steel frame for the ledges has been secured in place, and an observation blind, which will be incorporated into the backside of the ledge, has been built on the mainland and will be transported to the island. Once in place, the observation blind will be covered with copper shingles and additional concrete nesting ledges. The blind will act as a barrier between the colony and a nearby path, reducing human disturbance and allowing biologists to monitor the birds.