Remember? …. We collected Least Auklet chick diet samples http://www.seabirdyouth.org/what-do-auklets-eat/

for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife. http://www.fws.gov/alaska/nwr/akmar/ during last summer’s Seabird Camps.

QUICK RECAP: Why did we collect the diet samples?

Diet data collected over many years can help tell us about changes in the marine environment. Different zooplankton species are associated with different water temperatures and currents, and any change in the local marine environment will therefore be reflected in the diet of species that eat zooplankton, such as the Least Auklet.

WHAT DID WE DO WITH THE SAMPLES?

Gathered zooplankton were preserved in alcohol and sent to Chris Stark, an expert on marine invertebrates in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Chris has been identifying zooplankton and fish for over 30 years, and he has recently started a company called Stark Fish Research to continue this work. Over the winter months Chris carefully examined each of our Least Auklet meals, identifying and counting the zooplankton using a microscope.

Each meal sample takes Chris about one hour to process, and we had collected 35 meal samples in total (31 from St. George, and 34 from St. Paul).

When asked why this work is interesting or exciting, Chris answered: “I am pretty good at it and find the critters interesting, the big money (Joke), and I believe that what I have learned should be passed on to the next generation or anyone who wants to know how to do it”.

Chris recently met with Tonia Kushin’s 4-6th grade class on St. Paul via SKYPE to talk about his work.  The students really enjoyed meeting with Chris.  Here are a few student reports:

Vladimir Bourdukofsky

Chris Stark met with our class and discussed what was in the Least Auklet diet. It eats about 1,000 copepods in a meal! He told us where he is from, and he is from Montana. He really hopes that we shall become scientists and do what he does. I learned that Least Auklets regurgitate their food for its young. I learned that his microscope costs $1,500, and they aren’t that better then ours in our school. When I’m older I might start thinking about doing what he does.

Casper Merculief

Chris Stark met with our class on Skype and discussed what Least Auklets eat and how much they feed their babies and eat them selves. He said they feed their babies about one thousand copepods a meal. Chris also said that the parents eat not only copepods, but also five other sea creatures. Lastly, Mr. Stark encouraged us to become biologists and stay up on St. Paul so the other biologists wouldn’t leave to their lab and spend lots of money. It was a good learning experience to Skype with Chris Stark.

Latasha Bevis

Chris Stark met with our class. We discussed copepods and bird vomit. We also discussed least auklets. My favorite thing we discussed was that we found out what they ate. They eat copepods, euphusid, crab zoea, shrimp zoea, amphipod, and cumacea. Chris stark wants us to stay on St.Paul. Our discussion, I think, was fun and educational.

THANK YOU Chris for meeting with us and sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm of zooplankton identification!