Subject: Re: migrant question (puffins / alcids) -Reply
Date: Dec 16 15:20:29 1997
From: Chris Thompson - THOMPCWT at dfw.wa.gov


Hi Rob,

I'm a reseach scientist (seabird biologist) with Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife, and work on alcids, especially Common Murres and
Marbled Murrelets. I just finished a reasonably thorough literature search
regarding migration in alcids for a couple of projects I'm working on. I DO
NOT profess to be an expert on this, but as a previous respondent said, I
don't think they're migratory in the usual sense that they undergo a
directed migration -- at least not like Rhinoceros Auklets, Thick-billed
Murres and Dovekies. However, as noted earlier Tufted Puffins do
disperse widely. This is reflected by many facts, but one that I'm
particularly familiar with is that Tufted Puffins got caught in substantial
numbers in Japanese high seas drift nets before the drift nets were shut
down.

Hope this helps.

Chris