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Plumbers Solve Burrow Mystery
Added: (Tue Jun 25 2002)
NEWPORT, Ore USA -- How do you peek inside the burrow that seabirds have dug deep into the earth in the Oregon Coast Aquarium aviary without breaking out shovels and picks? You could use long arms-but that won't work in an eight-foot tunnel. You could use a soft plastic pole-but it won't get past a Y-split or twisting turn in the burrow. Or, you could call a plumber.
A plumber? Yes, a plumber, explained Todd Dunkirk, senior aviculturist, who needed to find out if the Aquarium's resident rhinoceros auklets were really sitting on eggs or just hanging out in the burrows. "We normally watch the behaviors of the adult birds to clue us into the possibility of an egg being in the burrow," he said. "It works most of the time, but not all birds provide enough clues to let us know they have an egg in the hole."
A fortunate crossing of paths by Dunkirk and a Newport Plumbing crew checking out a drain at the Aquarium led to a recent nature-based experiment in the high-tech underground recon of an auklet burrow. General Manger Norman Kosydar and Service Manager Mike Zancanella brought the same drain-pipe equipment into the aviary (after sanitizing it) for a modern-day version of "Candid Camera" with a couple of prospective egg-sitting seabirds. The company donated the equipment and crew for the experiment, which was conducted after hours to minimize disturbing the other birds in the aviary.
To look into the burrows the two plumbers used a trade tool called a See-Snake-similar to the pipe-clearing equipment commonly used by plumbers, but with a high-resolution, LED-lit camera on one end and a quality television and VCR recorder at the other. The picture quality was good, allowing aviary staff to confirm that two adult auklets were indeed nesting with an egg in the first burrow that was checked. Of course, the birds had dug the burrow with one Y-split in it, making managing the See-Snake a challenge of twisting and turning 10-12 feet of metal cable, while watching a television monitor another 20 feet away.
Dunkirk noted that the success of the reconnaissance experiment inspired NASA-style high-fives among the crew, along with cheers of "We have an egg." A total of two eggs were observed in the four burrows checked, with staff and volunteers now waiting to observe the adult birds bringing food to the nests after the eggs hatch. Dunkirk added that auklet egg-hatchings should be occurring around the 4th of July.
This is the second "first" for the rhinoceros auklet program at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, following international recognition as the first location to successfully hatch an auklet in captivity. The Aquarium was also awarded the 2000 American Zoological Association Bean Award for its rhinoceros auklet breeding program.
Dunkirk added the newly-collected information with the 'burrow-cam' experiment expanded the Aquarium's overall knowledge of bird behavior in captivity and will help improve their overall care. It also means that the staff now has a way of checking the deeper bird burrows in the aviary-they'll just "call the plumbers."
Located just south of Newport, the Oregon Coast Aquarium is named one of the top 10 aquariums in the nation by Parade magazine. Immerse yourself in Passages of the Deep and walk beneath the waves through a 200-foot clear underwater tunnel that snakes through three ocean habitats. Encounter sharks, rays and thousands of other fish swimming around you. Experience an exhilarating sensation when you look around and realize you're completely surrounded!
Experience the magic of "Enchanted Seas" while taking a journey into the mystical world of seahorses, sea dragons and other magical sea creatures worth protecting. This bright new exhibit features painted murals by artist Michael Cole and displays a collection of ocean gems featuring seahorses hanging onto seagrass with their prehensile tails; a rainbow of tropical reef fishes flitting among the coral; sea dragons trailing frilly appendages; cuttlefish hovering like blimps; and children enjoying gaze-to-gator vision of baby American alligators in a crawl-through tank. Visitors who crave a bit of the familiar will still find sea nettles, moon jellies and other jewels of the sea included with "Enchanted Seas".
Indoors, take a peek "Under the Lily Pad" at the Ocean Exploration Station for an up-close view of frogs, newts and salamanders as you discover there's more to a pond than scum. Explore the role these soggy spaces play in a healthy ecosystem. Visitors dip into the microscopic life of a pond community and see if they can identify the many creatures in the "duck soup" found in a pond ecosystem. Learn what's lurking beneath the pond's surface as you watch bluegills, compare newts and salamanders and search for tree and red-legged frogs. You'll be ribbetted!
Outdoors, rugged cliffs, caves and pools showcase the many fascinating fish and invertebrates of Oregon's coastal shores. Discover curious seals, sea lions and sea otters. A giant Pacific octopus lurks in an undersea coastal cave, and cartoonlike tufted puffins and other seabirds make their homes in one of the largest walk-through aviaries in North America.
The Aquarium is open every day except December 25; hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Labor Day. For additional information about the Oregon Coast Aquarium, surf www.aquarium.org or call 541-867-FISH (867-3474).
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