Common Murres  
Uria aalge

Common Murres are a type of Alcid found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They are not found on Eastern Egg Rock but nest on other islands in the Gulf of Maine. At right are some real Common Murres among some decoys set up to attract them.

Devil's Slide Rock in California is the site of Common Murre Restoration Project, a cooperative venture conducted by US Fish and Wildlife Service, Humboldt State University, and National Audubon Society. On the Murre-Cam, you can watch Common Murres and Brandt's Cormorants at Devil's Slide Rock. Novel techniques developed by Audubon's Seabird Restoration Program are bringing these seabirds home.

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US Fish and Wildlife Service
Common Murre Restoration Project

The Common Murre Restoration Project is a comprehensive seabird restoration effort aimed at enhancing depleted seabird populations in central California, specifically those of the common murre (Uria aalge). The main focus of the project is to reestablish a colony of murres on a small seastack called Devil's Slide Rock, located along the San Mateo coast near Pacifica. This breeding colony held close to 3,000 murres as recently as the early 1980s, but was wiped out as a result of human-caused mortality.

Visit the USFWS Common Murre Restoration Project Website.