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The Blog

Fish heads, fish heads

7/18/2013

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Now that we're back at Clemson, the next (indoor) chapter of the project has begun. Last week, we started sorting through the diet samples regurgitated by the pelicans we captured.  Some contained recognizable fish, while others were too digested to identify.  To process these, we'll have to dissolve the fish tissue, collect the bones, and pick out otoliths (inner ear bones) that can help us identify fish species and even determine the size of the individual fish.  For the less-digested samples, however, processing was much easier: we thawed the frozen mass of fish, separated out individual specimens, and weighed, measured, and photographed each one.  
Samples contained anywhere from one to 100 or more individual fish, ranging in size from a few centimeters to over 40 cm (more than a foot).

In most cases, the fish were well-preserved enough for us to identify them to species based on physical characteristics.  We may even be able to use some of the best samples to test nutrient composition and caloric density to see how different species might contribute differently to the energy needs of a pelican.  In the meantime, it was interesting to begin comparing the diets of pelicans in our different study areas and seeing some unexpected diversity.
We still have a lot of work to do identifying and analyzing our fish, but it's a fun (although smelly) process.  More to come!
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Team Pelican'13

7/11/2013

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The 2013 field season is officially over.  Our last visit to Felicity Island was more eventful than usual, ending in a tow home from the Terrebonne Water Patrol, and the next day we brought Elizabeth to the airport and said goodbye to the Gulf.

This field season would have been much more difficult without Yvan, Elizabeth, and Stève, whose patience, energy, and attention to detail made the work go smoothly.  It's not easy to work on a project that's still in its early stages, but I couldn't have asked for a better crew.
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Up close and personal II: Processing a pelican

7/5/2013

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I'll start with the exciting news: we've now deployed all of our transmitters!  Having added three extras midway through the season, we ended up with a total of 63, all of which are now collecting data around the Gulf of Mexico.  Next week we'll be finished with the field season, and the less-glamorous work of sorting and analyzing data will begin.
While writing the last entry, I realized that I had never really described the process of trapping, measuring, and releasing a pelican.  Here's how it works:
Step 1- Set a snare on a nest.  When a pelican lands, pull the snare closed around its ankle.
Most of the pelicans we catch weigh between 2.5 and 4 kg, or 6-9 lbs
Step 2- Put the pelican in a bag (in our case, a pillowcase modified with a drawstring).  This helps to keep the bird calm and allows us to weigh it using a spring scale.


Step 3- Take a sample of blood from a vein in the tarsus (lower leg).  These samples will be used to check the health of the bird, test for chemical contaminants, and determine its sex.  We also take several feathers to analyze for mercury content.

Step 4- Band the bird.  The bands we use are made by the U.S. Geological Survey's Bird Banding Lab and provide a unique 9-digit number that will help identify the bird if it's ever found again, alive or dead.
Step 5- Measure the lengths of the tarsus, wing, and culmen (upper part of the bill).  These measurements, combined with body mass, will help us compare the physical condition of birds between different regions, giving us an idea of how foraging behavior or contaminant load can affect health.
Step 8- Release the bird.
From capture to release, the process usually takes us 15-20 minutes.  Once released, tagged pelicans usually spend time away from the nest preening to restore the waterproofing of their feathers, but typically return to their nests within a few hours.

Step 6- Attach a transmitter.

Step 7- Collect any fish that the bird has regurgitated.  Sometimes, in the stress of capture, a pelican will drop the fish in its pouch or gullet, which lets us see exactly what it has been eating.
A tagged pelican flies away on Felicity Island, LA
Step 8- Release the bird.
From capture to release, the process usually takes us 15-20 minutes.  Once released, tagged pelicans usually spend time away from the nest preening to restore the waterproofing of their feathers, but typically return to their nests within a few hours.

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    Author(s)

    Juliet Lamb is the post-doc in charge of the project. You can check her website at julietlamb.weebly.com

    Rochelle Streker is a M.S. student with the project. She'll be contributing to the blog from her field base in Alabama.

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