Late yesterday afternoon I had 4 adult Common Murres on Auke Bay (near Juneau) each with a dependent "chick" nearly full-grown. Each of the kids was begging lots vocally, and I saw each of the kids being fed some kind of forage-fish at least once. In ten years at Auke Bay, I have never seen adult Common Murres with attendant young, let alone 4 "pairs"! Which, of course, begs the question, has anyone at any time seen Common Murres with attendant young anywhere in the Juneau Checklist area? It's curious, for me, for two reasons: 1. What's the nearest substantive colony that these offspring came from ... I guess St. Lazaria? And then Middleton? Both are quite(!) a swim to Auke Bay (assuming the kids can't fly yet), i.e., low hundreds of kilometers. 2. Could this be an ENSO97 effect, i.e., are Common Murres bringing their kids into extreme inside waters because foraging conditions are not suitable in their traditional feeding grounds due to elevated sea temperatures??!!! The fact that I have never observed this in 10 years might be suggestive. If anyone sees any more murres with young, please let me know. Thanks!--G.VanVlie@envircon.state.ak.us

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