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A pair of Long-billed Murrelets

Detailed Description

The photo is of two Long-billed Murrelets seen near Grewingk Glacier in Kachemak Bay, Cook Inlet, Alaska. This pair of uncommon visitors was spotted in Kachemak Bay during the annual USGS survey of seabirds and small pelagic fish in Cook Inlet. The range of long-billed murrelets ordinarily extends from the northern islands of Japan, north to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's far east. While far from their range, these birds occasionally do venture into Alaskan waters and have been spotted as far south along the Pacific Coast as California. Annual surveys in Cook Inlet conducted by the USGS allow scientists to track changes in the health of seabird populations, the prey they feed on, as well as detect unusual bird species when they visit Alaska’s coast. 

Sources/Usage

Public Domain.

Photo taken by Sam Stark, U.S. Geological Survey

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