rocks, as do other related murrelet species. The egg is incubated for a month, then fed for around 40 days until the chick is able to fledge. Adults fly from ocean feeding areas to inland nest sites, mostly at dusk and dawn. They feed nestlings at least once and sometimes twice per day or night. Usually only one fish is carried to the young. The chick then leaves the nest and flies unaccompanied to the sea. Breeding success is low and chick mortality high. Marbled murrelets do not breed until they are at least two years old. They nest from mid-April to late September. Peak activity occurs from mid-June to late July in California, and the second week of July to mid-August in Oregon. Marbled murrelets are semicolonial in nesting habits. Two nests found in Washington were located only 150 feet (46 m) apart. Not all mature adults nest every year. The clutch is a single egg. The nestlings fledge in 28 days. The young remain in the nest longer than other alcids and molt into their juvenile plumage before leaving the nest. Fledglings fly directly from the nest to the ocean. Predators Steller's jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) and common ravens (Corvus corax) prey on marbled murrelet eggs and nestlings. Status and relation with humans The marbled murrelet is considered globally endangered. Scientists at Redwood National Park have established a connection between human presence in marbled murrelet territory and corvid predation of marbled murrelet chicks. Properly counting marbled murrelets is, as a study by Darrell Whitworth and collaboators indicated, is difficult "over large geographic ranges and long time periods". References Further reading "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America Seabirds, an Identification Guide by Peter Harrison, (1983) Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 3, Josep del Hoyo editor, "National Audubon Society" The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet, by Maria Mudd-Ruth, External links Birdlife International Marbled Murrelet U.S. Fish and Wildlife Marbled Murrelet Research on Marbled Murrelet by Redwood Sciences Laboratory, USFS Research and Nest Photos from Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University Prof Stephen Sillett's Redwood webpage including a photo of a Marbled Murrelet nest under the "Arboreal Animals" section, 318 feet above the ground. Redwood National Park's "Don't Help a Good Bird Go Bad!" campaign on the relationship between humans, corvid predation,