Efforts are underway to restore the Salish Sea, a 16,925 km² inland sea shared by Washington State, USA, and British Columbia, Canada. A list of the birds and mammals that use this marine ecosystem is lacking. We compiled information from varied sources and identified 172 bird and 37 mammal species that depend on the Salish Sea marine ecosystem. Of these species, 72 bird and 29 mammal species are both highly dependent on intertidal or marine habitat as well as on marine derived food. One hundred bird species and 8 mammal species that use the Salish Sea marine ecosystem have varying degrees of dependence on the marine and terrestrial ecosystems to meet significant life history needs. These interactions between the marine and terrestrial ecosystems indicate the need to integrate marine and terrestrial restoration efforts to achieve long-term conservation of the suite of birds and mammals that use and depend on the marine ecosystem. This comprehensive list of avian and mammal fauna for the Salish Sea serves as a foundation for determining the occurrence of new species and the disappearance of others, enables selection of species as indicators for ecosystem health, and also provides a basis for identifying the mechanisms responsible for marine bird and mammal declines.

Although nest prospecting, natal philopatry, and nest-site fidelity have been observed in many alcids, few data demonstrate these behaviors in Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus). Prior to the 2003 breeding season, we installed a permanent video camera adjacent to a Marbled Murrelet nest site that had been used in 2001 and 2002. Video recordings in 2003 detected the simultaneous presence of 3 murrelets in alternate plumage on the nest branch, once during the incubation period, and once during the chick period. We did not observe aggression, suggesting familiarity between the extra-pair birds and site holders, and possibly avoidance of detection by predators. Without banded individuals we hypothesize extra-pair visitations at an active nest reflect nest-site prospecting, natal philopatry, or nest-site fidelity.

During a long-term demography study of Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) in the eastern Cascade Range of Washington State in 1989 to 2008, we documented 276 nests of Northern Spotted Owls at 73 different territories. Of these nests, 90.2% were on platforms, mostly in clumps of deformed limbs caused by dwarf mistletoe (primarily Arceuthobium douglasii), and 9.8% were in cavities in trees. Of the nests associated with dwarf mistletoe, 8.4% were nests built by other raptors and 91.6% were either natural accumulations of debris or debris accumulated by other birds or mammals. Owls switched nests between nesting attempts 81.2% of the time. The presence of a new male or female at a territory did not affect the odds of switching nests between nesting attempts. The odds an owl would reuse a nest were 6 times greater for owls that were successful in the previous nesting attempt compared to owls that were unsuccessful, given the same type of nest structure. The odds an owl would reuse a cavity nest were 4.7 times greater than the odds an owl would reuse a platform nest, given the same level of nest success the previous year. The estimated mean annual survival rate (ϕ) of nest structures was 0.98 (  =  0.006), suggesting that mean life expectancy of nests was 42 y. However, nests on dwarf mistletoe platforms may be more ephemeral than cavity nests or the nest trees themselves, and management for viable nest areas for Spotted Owls should include multiple trees with mistletoe brooms suitable for alternate nests. Our results, and results from other studies, indicate that Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) trees infected with dwarf mistletoe are an important habitat component for Spotted Owls and many other species of birds and arboreal mammals on the east slope of the Cascade Range in Washington.

Among Yellow-rumped Warblers (Dendroica coronata)¹ banded in Portland, Oregon, in the spring migration seasons of 2007 through 2010, prealternate molt was found in 40.0% of the Myrtle subspecies group (D. c. coronata group) but just 5.9% of the Audubon's subspecies group (D. c. auduboni group). The peak of molt frequency occurred prior to the peak of abundance for both subspecies groups, but that of the Myrtle Warbler substantially overlapped its peak in abundance and represented 82.4% of individuals captured. Twenty-two Yellow-rumped Warblers (1.4%) were recaptured. The mean stopover time for those recaptured within the same season was 8.27 d. Most of the same-season recaptures gained fat or became no leaner during their stay. Molting birds had lower fat scores than prior to and after completion of molt. Fat scores continued to increase following completion of molt. Multiple lines of inference point to the importance of Smith and Bybee Lakes Preserve and its vicinity as a migratory stopover site for the Yellow-rumped Warblers. Prealternate molt at a migratory stopover site to the extent shown by the Myrtle Warbler subspecies group has not previously been documented for any species.

We studied consumption of free water by a sample of 7 Red Tree Voles (Arborimus longicaudus) maintained in captivity on a natural diet of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) foliage. Mean consumption of free water by individual voles was 0.016 ± 0.001 ml/g/d, which is much lower than has been reported for most other species of voles. The small amount of free water consumed per day suggests that Tree Voles need little access to free water and can obtain nearly all of their water from their diet of conifer needles, which is low in caloric value but high in water content.