Our interns had the opportunity to participate in two Least Auklet research and monitoring projects throughout the week. Ashley and Bay Rose took part in the annual diet monitoring by Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Each year refuge Biotechs collect diet samples during the early, mid and late chick rearing stages. They laid noose carpets over rocks that Least Auklets land on to catch them. The team successfully collected 16 diet samples! They also took feather samples to send to research collaborators at University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
The second auklet study was a pilot project by Dr. Alexis Will. Alexis looked at the feasibility of introducing novel objects into the auklet colony to establish whether individuals in the colony react to the object differently. In other species, individuals that are not afraid of the novel object are know to have other leadership behaviors such finding new foraging areas. Like kids, each individual seabird has its own personality.
Seabird Camp concluded with a family hike. It was a beautiful day at Southwest Point. Everyone enjoyed great scope views of Parakeet Auklets, Kittiwakes with chicks, Horned Puffin and Northern Fulmar. Campers were happy to tell their parents and other relatives about the seabirds they saw.
