Getting Ducks in a Row
Posted on: July 2, 2009 | admin | Comments Off | Print Article | Rate Post:
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)Just in time for the busy Fourth of July weekend, four long-tailed ducklings, two king eiders, and one spectacled eider have emerged from their shells and started exploring their world at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.
The spectacled eider is the newest addition to the Center’s captive research population of its species, which has been listed as threatened in Alaska. The resident flock of spectacled eiders has been at the Alaska SeaLife Center since 2003 and has enabled researchers to collect valuable data from the maturing flock of eiders. “Their wild counterparts are normally out in the Bering Sea for eight months of the year, making year-round research in the wild a logistical challenge,” said Avian Curator Heidi Cline.
The long-tailed ducks and the king eiders were hatched from eggs their mother laid inside the Center’s seabird exhibit. The eggs were collected and incubated in a holding area behind the scenes, where the ducklings will remain until they are big enough to live in the main habitat, though the king eider mom, “Camilla,” is housed with her ducklings.
Although long-tailed ducks have not been a focus species for SeaLife Center researchers, staff members have seized the opportunity to study the birds’ growth and development under different diets. Their findings may help other bird breeders and researchers reduce costs while maintaining quality of care.
The Alaska SeaLife Center has eleven species of birds in its exhibit habitat, including three different sea duck species, and holds two species of threatened eiders in outdoor research habitats.
The Alaska SeaLife Center is a non-profit marine science facility dedicated to understanding and maintaining the integrity of the marine ecosystem of Alaska through research, rehabilitation, conservation and public education. The Center’s research facilities and naturalistic exhibits immerse visitors in the dynamic marine ecosystems of Alaska. The Center is currently open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday –Thursday, 8:00 am to 6:30 pm Friday-Sunday. Learn more at http://www.alaskasealife.org