Research Experience Reflection
The dynamics of studying a bird are very involved. Birds, by their nature, do not sit still very often. In my classroom experience, the animals that have be studied have been small and have had very short life cycles. Students have always greatly enjoyed the experience, but have had some difficulty relating to a small organism, which most commonly has been an invertebrate.
On my Polartrec application I explained that my interest in polar research was to study organisms that live in extreme environments. I have wondered what adaptations developed to allow their survival. In being selected I was paired with a researcher, Ann Harding, who was studying a high arctic seabird, the Little auk, Alle alle.
The...
Several attempts were made to record the intense, magnificant sounds of this Little auk colony. After some editing to eliminate the bops of machine placement, the inopportune comments unknowlingly made by team members and the scratching of metal upon rock, I am now sending some of the sounds for you to hear. After many chicks hatched, I placed the recorder on the edge of a nest. The second half of this recording gives you a glimpse of the chirps of infants asking for food or company.
Now, close your eyes, turn up the air conditioning, face a fan in your direction and listen.
Written on August 10, and submitted after a few days rest.
My own warm, fluffy bed with crisp cotton sheets was jumped into last night. Arriving safely after 24 hours of travel, through several time zones, it felt surreal to be home. Slowing moving up the front walkway at 10:30 pm, two things startled me. First, it was dark! It was really dark! It had been one month since I had last seen that. I also noticed the stars, there seemed to be a lot for a warm summer night. In the Northern California valley town where I live, summer evenings are hazy and slow, with few stars seen compared to a crisp winter night. Yet, many stars glimmered in the sky. Then I realized- I saw stars!! I had not seen stars for 30 nights. The ‘night’ sky in the Arctic circle is too bright for a single...
The last days of summer, before school starts are used at the new playground.
Classes begin there in Eastern Greenland August 17, while we began August 14. Many adults at school who see me ask how I am adjusting. I was gone four weeks so did have time to really appreciate the air, the quiet, the light, the sea ice, the people, the simplicity, nature, and a clear vision. After arriving in my hometown, Chico, California, to be welcomed by family, fatigue entered my mind and body. It had been an exhausting experience, truly not a vacation, but a very significant event in my life. Stepping out of the car by the front walkway, I stopped to scratch Kitty, who meowed as if I had never left. He expected the traditional rubdown; neck, belly, top of tail, that had always occurred. When we...
Although not bird brains, we are putting our teaching noggins together.
I’m still waiting for students, but I guess school begins NEXT week.
East Greenland, northern California and the Hawaiian Islands sound worlds apart, yet have some basic similarities. Each are of volcanic origin, with some geothermal activity in the greater landscape and may have access to fresh water lakes close at hand. What can each locale study and compare? These were the questions Pierre and I considered as we visited and talked teaching. Many ideas came to mind as we looked around the village.
Both excited about bringing the life to life science, we looked for evidence of life. There is a glacially fed stream on the edge of town in Ittoqqortoormiit; there is a stream next to my school, which originates in...
Greenland provides many opportunities for research. It has not been studied expensively in the past, but with an interest in marine mammals, climate change, Polar bears, and with new technology making research less difficult, Greenland serves many research interests. In the village of Ittoqqortoormiit this July and August scientists from Denmark, Norway, and the United States have been helping the economy here as they use the village as a base. But research is not easy, and with the climate here allowing only a limited window to conduct research, scientists come and often cross their fingers. Two Norwegians lived here for a few weeks as they studied different types of lichen and moss endemic to this area. One Danish woman has spent a good portion of her summer watching the bay waiting...
Another type of school in Greenland...
Emilie Pike, native of Ittoqqortoormiit, is a new teacher. Previously a carpenter, he is looking forward to this opportunity to strengthen his community. But he will not be working in the local elementary/secondary school. Instead he will provide lessons to 18-30 year old adults who were unsuccessful their first time in school, who finished with weak basic skills. He will teach mathematics and carpentry at the Motivation Center, an adult school that has been working with young adults in Ittoqqortoormiit for the last two years.
This Greenlandic program has been in existence for the last five years countrywide, but was started here in 2005 by Emilie Napãtõg. Raised here in the village, Emilie left for Denmark for her last year of public school. Later...
Welcome to Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland
Ittoqqortoormiit is the Greenlandic name for this largest East Greenlandic village of 550 inhabitants. 140 students attend the local school through 11th grade. Those that can, finish their last year of school in Denmark. Almost everyone speaks an Eastern Greenlandic, a distinct dialect of the greater Greenlandic language. Their Danish is fluent, and many speak English well. Students are taught English in upper school grades. Some people are of Danish origin and the local hospital and police force (1 police officer) have employed Danish professionals.
These puppies often beg for some attention, and, of course, a treat.
There is little economy here. Many families rely on the hunters in their family to return from the hunt with enough meat for...
The history of the Greenlandic dog extends back as much as 4000 years. Greenlandic dogs originated from the Asian continent and were brought over by the Inuit population over 1000 years ago. The dog breed found in Greenland today is believed to be one of the most isolated and pure dog breeds in the world and no interbreeding with other breeds of dogs is allowed.
For the past two field seasons at Kap Hoegh, and for this third and final season, dogs have been hired in order to provide a early warning and first defense against the forever looming possibility of an encroaching polar bear.
Last year Ann rented Abe, our Greenlandic ‘bear’ dog, from NANU travel. He was reported to be the best, fiercest bear dog in the village. "Abe is quite tolerant with humans, but don’t expect warmth from...
They sleep, eat whatever is within sight, and would rather hang with their friends than spend any time with a teacher during the summer. Even if she is cool, funny, hip, groovy, rad, and is from California in the United States. I have survived two teenagers, and am in the midst of two more. Why am I surprised that a few degrees north of my home teenagers are reluctant to meet a teacher that they don’t know, who is from somewhere they don’t care about, at the precious end of a summer holiday?
For two days I waited on the steps of the school for those who had verbally committed to coming to meet me. One parent dragged her son to fulfill his commitment, then tried to help me round up some additional students. I had lessons ready for them, plans to explain to them all about the Kap Höegh...
For a team of people to live in a field camp for an entire summer, a significant amount of planning and preparation must take place to make certain enough food is available. After a master food list was compiled, examined by all participants, additions made based on personal preferences, gathering up, shipping and delivering these commodities had to be completed prior to arrival.
Ann had established a link with the local grocery store in Ittoqqortoormiit to purchase a large amount of their canned goods. At the end of each month, whenever there were items from Ann’s list that had not been sold, the owner set them aside for Kap Heogh group. This included: sardines, herring, tuna, mayonnaise, margarine, peanut butter, hazelnut spread, jelly, rye bread, spaghetti noodles, assorted sauce...
CJ has been on the first big adventure of his life. Short trips taken thus far have included: bike riding near Mt. Lassen peak, climbing and summiting Mt. Shasta,without even crampons, and a trip to Nevada for a teaching conference. Since he has not been highlighted yet, and did not want to be interviewed, I will send a few photographs that give a little more insight into his experiences.
The team has gotten great delight from his presence, and has willingly volunteered to assist him in the photos that I have published. I will show my students the rest of the photos, but these are the ones that capture some of what CJ has noticed.
Like all kids, CJ likes to play in the tent.
Like all kids, CJ likes to play in the tent.
CJ looking at seal bones
All that remains from a past hunting...
It takes energy to live. The more an organism moves, and the greater the mass it has to move, the more energy is required. We eat, that food is broken down, and much of that is delivered into our cells to the structures called mitochondria. In the mitochondria, energy is obtained from that food. The energy is used for movement (even just small muscle movements such as for breathing during sleep) and the extra energy is set aside for later, as fat. An individual’s "field metabolic rate” can be calculated, and has been determined for many animals. Those of us that are considered to be ‘couch potatoes’ have a lower field metabolic rate, than those of us that are considered ‘athletic’.
Food labels give an indication of the energy that specific fuel provides the body that consumes it...
Polar bears are impressive creatures. They are the world’s largest land carnivores, whose habitat is dispersed over the annual ice in Polar Regions. An average adult male weighs between 500 to 900 pounds. Females weigh 330 to 350 pounds. Their thick under fur is about 2 inches thick, and guard hairs are about 6 inches long. There are five toes on each paw with short, sharp non-retractable claws. The preferred feeding choice is ringed seals and bearded seals. Although polar bears are the most predatory of the three North American bears, their threat to human life has been low. Considerable attention has been given to reducing the number of polar bear-people conflicts in order to increase the safety of people living and working in the Arctic. Recommended methods that are being used...
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell University, Rachael knew she wasn’t ready to continue on to an advanced degree. With lots of questions left surrounding ecological systems she methodically applied for numerous field positions. The first opportunity, offered for that summer, was to spend two months on the Barren Islands offshore of Homer, Alaska. After that two months working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rachael spent from January to May, chasing and monitoring wild turkeys in the Carmel Valley outside of Monterey, California. Since then, the sequence of her varied field work has been; four months in Kodiak, Alaska, three months at Cape Cozier on Ross Island, Antarctica, then back to Kodiak. She then switched to field opportunities in more tropical...
Jerome Fort is a PhD student at the DEPE (Département d’Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie) lab and is funded by the University of Strasbourg located in Strasbourg, France. He is conducting some of his field research here, along with participating as a field assistant to Ann’s Little Auk research.
Jerome with the auks
Jerome with the auks.
Supervised by David Gremillet, Jerome‘s PhD focuses on Little auk wintering ecology with the long term objective to have a better understanding of the adaptations of this species to the variations in environment conditions as the climate changes. Using a model developed by Warren Porter, one part of this research will allow for the estimation of energy expenditure of Little Auks during both the breeding and winter season. This summer, Jerome...
Here is a chart of chick growth as of July 28. Slashes indicate data points that were not able to be collected, due to chicks too far back in the nesting crevice to be taken out. (Some of these were able to be removed by Rachael’s slender arms). July 26 was an extremely cold, stormy evening on the slope. When a risk of hypothermia became a possibility, the data collection was postponed.
Chick Growth - Kap Höegh, Greenland 2007
Chick mass measured in grams.
Date
Nest #50Nest #55 Nest #58 Nest #613
Nest 767 Nest #33 Nest #6 Nest #728 Hatch Date (mass unk) 16 July
16 July 16 July 13 July 14 July 13 July 16 July 16 July
22 July
33.7 56.049 86.769.7 59.6 // 24 July
46.2 72.4 59.6 89.5 91.8 77.5 69.4 53.3 26 July
53.4 91.6 84.1 / / / 92.4 70.3 28 July
66.6103.4 93.9105.0...
A select group of people are born knowing what career will drive them forward; others take a long, winding pathway to get to find what they truly love.
Ann Harding falls into the second category. Ask her about Little auks, and you had better have made a cup of tea, because you might find yourself in a long conversation focused on these incredible seabirds.
Ann Harding and one of her Little auks
Ann Harding and one of her little auks.
Childhood friends might be astounded to discover her on the cutting edge of seabird research, for as a child she wouldn’t sit still long enough to complete her schoolwork. Adolescence was spent as a tomboy; collecting scraps of bone and scouring the British countryside for some of nature’s secrets. Academics study was not a priority. The British...
Observation of Parental Behavior
One plot was label for attendance recording. In this area, eleven pairs of parents were successfully caught and marked, along with their nests. One unpaired parent was also caught and labeled, but the partner was never tagged. For the 11 marked nests, at least one 48 hour continuous watch will be conducted to determine the duration of foraging trips and the number of times parents deliver food. Pairs of parents were banded and stained with picric acid. One parent was picric stained at the top of the breast and the other at the bottom. A record will be kept of each bird returning to the nest with a food load, leaving the nest with an empty gular pouch, and every time it is spotted leaving and arriving the colony. Along with the double labeled water...
The babies are growing!
Yesterday, Jerome and Ewan continued their chick growth data collection. Chicks would only be gently removed when they were at least five days old. At this point the chick could be removed without disturbing the adult. Some had already lost the egg tooth at the end of their bill. The sole purpose of this tooth is to enable a newborn the ability to peck its way out of an egg. The growth in mass for a few individuals allowed the nickname, little whale, to be coined in the notebook, for those babies.
The growth in mass for a few individuals allowed the nickname, little whale, to be coined in the notebook, for those babies.When at least three data points are collected, a journal post will present some of the data so that statistical calculations can be made by...
We are collecting data on chick growth. Chicks are measured every 3 days until they fledge about 21-28 days old. The graph below shows mass gain of chicks at Kap Höegh in 2005 and 2006. Little Auks have a linear period of chick growth (between 5-15 days old), and then reach a peak mass at about 19 days old. Chicks then lose mass before leaving the colony at 21-28 days old.
**Chick Growth of Little Auks in 2005 and 2006 at Kap Hoegh, Greenland **
Little auk weight chart.
Chick growth reflects the amount of food the parents deliver. Chicks may have low linear growth rates, reach a lower peak and fledging mass, and fledge at an older age if food availability is poor. Chicks may also prioritize the growth of some body structures (e.g., wing over leg) if food is in short supply. For...
...it's bird poop! When thousands of birds become startled and soar as a squadron overhead, they leave behind evidence of their flight. On us, around us, on our gear, and in our hair.
Ann Harding
Ann Harding next to bird blind, showing off her field attire.*
It is only one of the side benefits of this sort of field work, that Ann didn’t mention to me. After 9 days, though, I only minimally notice it, and no one else even reacts to it. Every once in a while, a pink splat lands on a pant-covered knee; that’s a piece of food from a Little auk who stuffed his mouth a bit too full. Laundry is done weekly, using biodegradable soap at the lakeshore and hung up on a line. With Tyr still a puppy, there have been a few incidences of garments found in shreds and a guilty smirk on her...
Ewan is the birder among the team, although everyone else here is also interested in species identification. He has been birding since the age of 10 (is currently 22) and carries a banding kit and mist net when he travels. He is certified to band birds in Great Britain, which has stringent regulations.
He was able to contact Kaj Kampp, head of Greenland ringing, prior to departure from Aberdeen, to obtain authorization to ring birds here in Greenland. Ewan was sent coded metal rings from the Danish Zoological Museum. Prior to ring attachment he recorded: mass, wing length, age, sex, band number, species, location and date. The data will be sent to the Danish Zoological Museum and catalogued. He is also documenting any eggs, chicks and brood size. With luck, some of these banded birds...
Such organization must have been required to prepare for this field work. Ann is committed to gathering as much information from each captured bird as possible. This way, each capture can potentially give a wealth of raw data for other researchers to use, minimizing the need to impact the colony further. In her collaborative work, she is gathering data for the specialized research of those scientists who are at the other two study plots in the area of Spitsbergen, Norway. They are also gathering data for her specialized interests. Text messages are delivered via satellite phone regularly, and weekly calls are scheduled between these three Little Auk field teams.
The last few days would have to be considered great opportunities for the Sharpie Permanent Pen Company to expand their...
Are we ready yet?
A trip to collect data is no minor feat. If I dash off to school, I have my schoolwork snuggled in my pack, grab the wallet, yell for help to find out where I tossed my keys the night before and I’m off. If I leave something behind, so what? I can work around it, or call my husband to drop it off, or scurry home at lunch, escaping before my room is waylaid by students looking for a warm den. A trip to work in the Little auk colony necessitates a much more methodical approach, in order to avoid a dreaded trip back to retrieve those forgotten items. With frigid winds a probability and precariously jumbled boulder fields to be maneuvered, only one commute daily is recommended. So after the chores are finished- "whose turn is it to dump the toilet?, I did it last...
