To determine which northwestern naturalists solved the mystery of where marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) nest, we reviewed all historical records of “breeding” (including nests, eggs, and chicks found at inland locations) to determine all 1st breeding records. The 1st breeding records were in coastal coniferous old-growth forests; the 1st inland chick was found without a nest (Minerva, Oregon—1918), and the 1st inland egg was found without a nest (Saxon, Washington—1925). The 1st confirmed record of a ground nest with an incubating adult was found above tree line at 580 m elevation (Chichagof Island, Alaska—1931). The 1st and 2nd confirmed records of old-growth tree nests were found near the ocean when a dead adult with a brood patch and broken eggshells were found amid a felled western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla; Masset, British Columbia—1953) and 2 chicks fell to the ground during the felling of a western red cedar (Thuja plicata; Holberg, British Columbia—1967). We consider that the mystery was solved between 1918 and 1967 and collectively credit 1st breeding records to EJ Booth, W Feyer, RD Harris, AB Johnston, ER Osburn, and S Warburton Jr. We also identify other important findings that helped solve the mystery of the marbled murrelet including: 1st recorded observation of murrelets flying inland from the coast (Sitka, Alaska—1896); 1st shelled egg from an oviduct of an adult female collected at sea (Howkan, Alaska—1897); 1st recorded far-inland record of flying murrelets (Glacier, Washington—1905); 1st accepted well-described tree nest (Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii; Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California—1974); 1st accepted well-described ground nest (Barren Islands, Alaska—1978); 1st long-billed murrelet (B. perdix) probable ground nest (Komandorskiye Islands, Russia—about 1891); 1st long-billed murrelet confirmed tree nest (Okhotsk, Russia—1961); and 1st Kittlitz's murrelet (B. brevirostris) confirmed ground nest (Pavloff Mountain, Alaska—1913). Since the 1970s, solution of the mystery has continued with discoveries of the 1st confirmed cavity or crevice nest (Port Chatham, Alaska—1981), 1st confirmed cliff nest (Perry Island, Alaska—1989), and 1st confirmed nest in a deciduous tree (red alder Alnus rubra; Toba Inlet, British Columbia—2000).

We identified the stomach contents of fishers (Martes pennanti) collected during winter between 1989 and 1993 from throughout British Columbia. Eighteen types of mammalian and avian prey were found in 256 stomachs. The most commonly occurring species of prey were snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), and southern red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi). The diets of fishers varied between sexes; female fishers consumed small prey more frequently than did males. This difference in diets is likely related to the extreme sexual dimorphism of fishers and perhaps differences in habitats where males and females forage. The composition and breadth of the winter diets have implications for understanding habitat relationships of fishers.

A paucity of data exists on the occurrence, distribution, and abundance of small mammal communities in southwestern Alaska. To add to the understanding of these communities we conducted a comprehensive small mammal survey in southwestern Alaska. We trapped small mammals along the Goodnews River in Togiak National Wildlife Refuge from 26 June to 5 September 1996. Objectives of our study were to determine what small mammal species occur in the Goodnews River area, to determine species distribution in 4 representative habitats during 3 time periods, and to determine ideal time periods to trap small mammals in order to maximize the diversity of species encountered and the number of specimens captured. In 3600 trap-nights we captured 468 specimens including masked shrew (Sorex cinereus), pygmy shrew (S. hoyi), Alaska tiny shrew (S. yukonicus), tundra shrew (S. tundrensis), tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus), red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus), Greenland collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus), and brown lemming (Lemmus trimucronatus). The pygmy shrew, Alaska tiny shrew, Greenland collared lemming, and brown lemming are the 1st representatives of these species from the region to be placed in a museum collection. The willow habitat supported the greatest number of specimens captured (n = 170), while the wet tundra habitat yielded the greatest number of species captured (n = 4). The fall trap period (26 August to 5 September) yielded the greatest number of specimens captured (n = 229), while the spring (26 June to 6 July) and summer trap periods (26 July to 5 August) yielded greatest species diversity. Findings of rare and uncommon species illustrate the need to conduct additional surveys in the region.

During 1999 and 2000, 10 of the 13 high-elevation lakes in and near the Red Buttes Wilderness in the Siskiyou Mountains were surveyed for amphibians. Five of the lakes had been stocked with non-native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) for over 30 y, while fish were absent from the other 5 lakes. Pacific treefrog (Pseudacris regilla) larvae were observed in 40% of fish-bearing lakes and 80% of fishless lakes, rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa granulosa) were present in all study lakes, and coastal giant salamanders (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) were present in 40% of fish-bearing lakes. Pacific treefrog larvae were significantly more abundant in fishless lakes, while rough-skinned newt median abundances were identical between fish-bearing and fishless lakes. Differences in Pacific treefrog abundances and distribution between fish-bearing and fishless lakes were likely related to the presence of brook trout, but might also have been influenced by other factors such as lake morphometry and abundance of aquatic vegetation. Modifying the number or type of fish stocked in the Red Buttes Wilderness could reduce effects from fish stocking on Pacific treefrog populations.