Today we are going to go over our background research for our lab on Wednesday and Thursday.

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3 Today we are going to go over our background research for our lab on Wednesday and Thursday. We have heard alot about plastic pollution, now let s look into how that pollution is harming an animal that lives in our ocean and island ecosystems. The Albatross!

4 Seabirds, especially albatross, spend most of their lives flying around above the sea.

5 These feathered giants have the longest wingspan of any bird up to 11 feet (3.4 meters)! They use these huge wings to fly all around the pacific!

6 Nesting sites in the middle of the Pacific include the main Hawaiian Islands and the protected North Western Hawaiian islands (Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument).

7 Often the Albatross go to Tern Island, National Wildlife Refuge and...

8 Kure Atoll Seabird Sanctuary to mate, nest, and care for their young.

9 Meeting on the Colony Adult albatross meet at the colony and engage in elaborate mating dances Albatross pairs attempt to mate for life and have to find each other at the colony, year after year.

10 Laying and Incubating a Single Egg Albatross females lay a single egg between November and December. Both parents incubate for about 66 days, and take turns finding food at sea.

11 Newly Hatched Laysan Albatross Chick

12 Hatching to Fledging After 2 months, the chick hatches in January or February. Now that the chicks are hatched they still need care from their parents.

13 It takes the chick months to grow up to a fledging and eventually learn to fly. So if the chicks/fledglings can t even fly, how do they get the food they need to survive?

14 Well the parents forage far away to feed the chick The albatross parents feed the chick for 6 months 14 They go to work as far away as California and Alaska

15 Adult Albatross Feeding a Large Chick video

16 So how far and what do the parents go to get food?

17 Scientists used satellite tracking to follow the birds movements. A satellite tag was attached to a few feathers with tape. The scientists can determine the animals locations after they are released.

18 Albatross Wearing a Transmitter

19 Here are some of the paths tagged Albatrosses have flown. See how much they forage over the great Pacfic Garbage Patch?

20 Remember the adult albatross brings back food for their chicks. Unfortunately, not everything they bring back is food and digestible.

21 Albatross Chicks Regurgitate a Bolus Boluses contain indigestible material: hard parts from fish and squid, seeds, wood, feathers, rocks and human trash Boluses provide a record of a chick s diet

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23 You may ask Mrs. Watson for this video link and watch this sad video on your own time. Albatross Necropsy Video 306 Punches

24 Boluses Collected and Cleaned Researchers collect, rinse and dry these boluses in the field Dissecting the boluses provides a record of what albatross ingest

25 Boluses - Different Shapes and Sizes

26 Boluses - Different Shapes and Sizes

27 Bolus Measurements

28 Bolus Analysis

29 Close-up of a Squid Beak

30 Quantifying the Composition of Boluses 4 Plastic Categories Fragments Rigid & Hard Foam Compressible Aerated Cells Line Round Filaments Bendable Sheets Flat & Thin Bendable

31 Mystery Item

32 Describing the Fragments in the Boluses Fragments categorized by size and color The source of some items can be identified

33 Bolus Categories

34 During our lab we are going to dissect real Albatross bolus collected from the NWHI of Midway. This is a part of a Citizen Science Project, where we collect the data and share it with scientists who will use it in their studies and analysis of plastic pollution effects. It is important that we come to school on Wednesday and Thursday prepared to listen and follow all direction exactly.

35 Please watch this video and when finished complete the prelab questions and discussions. Video These are homework to finish and you will not be able to participate in the lab if not completed.

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37 Use Agreement This presentation was developed for Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument by Meghan Marrero of Mercy College and Oikonos - Ecosystem Knowledge. Teachers, educators, researchers and students may incorporate these materials into their lesson plans, presentations, and worksheets in hard copy and digital format for internal educational use only, not into any publication for external distribution. All photos, art, video and data have been contributed free of charge to create this product for educational use. Content may be copyrighted and/or owned by individuals and entities other than, and in addition to, NOAA and Oikonos. Credits for all the media are embedded or included, please retain credits when reproducing. No organization or person (whether an educational body or not) may incorporate this material into any media for promotional or commercial purpose whatsoever. Please contact Oikonos or NOAA to request further use of any images, art, video, data or text included in this presentation we will contact contributing authors. Contact: WingedAmbassadors@oikonos.org All resources for this curriculum are available at :