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Albion biology professor Dale Kennedy (right) shows local children a
10-day-old house wren. Photos by Jake Weber
A "dud" egg from the nest. Despite their obviously tiny birth
size, house wrens fledge from the nests in about two weeks.
Drew Dunham, associate dean for the first-year experience, releases a
feather into the field. Despite the fact that the breeding season
is near close, this feather was taken by a tree swallow within five
seconds of this photo being taken.
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Babes in the Woods
Kids Participate in Albion College Research
Project
June 23, 2005
Young kids and young birds had an up-close-and-personal encounter in the
Whitehouse Nature Center this week, as Albion biology professor Dale
Kennedy invited the children to assist with her summer research project.
Kennedy, who has spent the past several yeas studying various behavioral
and reproductive aspects of several Michigan bird species, enjoys
bringing young children into the field.
The children learn lessons about biology, research practices, and
environmental conservation, with the hands-on attraction of actually
holding the tiny nestlings.
"The kids actually are very helpful," says Kennedy. As she puts a
permanent ID tag on each bird, and draws the blood samples she uses for
her studies, each bird is handed to a child. Having the "done"
birds out of the nest makes it easier for her to keep track of which
tiny, squirming birds have and haven't been measured.
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Kennedy draws a tiny drop of blood from a wren
nestling. DNA extracted from the blood samples will
provide information on the sex ratios of wren nestlings, a
ratio that until very recently, has been impossible to know.
Albion College student Ashley
Gardner, one of two students working with biology adjunct
professor Doug White this
summer, shows tree swallow nestlings to the children.
Gardner's research studies the correlation between nest
construction and breeding success. "Tree swallows
build their nests from found feathers, which are hard for
them to come by," she says. "We want to know where the
balance is between how many feathers they find and how well
the nestlings do."
Megan Fitzpatrick checks a swallow nest box which was
invaded by house sparrows. Sparrows and flying
squirrels destroy many songbird nests in the Nature Center.
Fitzpatrick is assisting White with her DNA-examination
research. |
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