Are teflon chemicals in baby birds? I learned about this during one of FOUR major moments I experienced recently that can only be summed up by “SH*T”! I was also lucky enough to witness ants literally in pants and killer whales at sunset.
Now that it’s July, my work, along with the island, is drying up. A group of researchers from Illinois, who study deer mice on the island each year, will monitor the sparrows for the month. I’ll be back in August to try and measure all the kids that hatched this year before they embark on their first winter. The theme of my past two weeks, for lack of a better word, was sh*t. There were FOUR major moments in which that was the only word in my head. They really made me wonder… how did I end up here? But a bittersweet ferry ride home made it all worth it.
If I haven’t mentioned, there is no shower here. One evening before sunset my coworker, Taise, and I made the rash decision to take a dip in the ocean before it was too cold. The “swim” would serve a much greater purpose of showering our smelly, sweaty bodies. We decided it would be way less painful to jump off the boat than to slowly walk into the 8°C water. After paddling the dingy to the anchored boat we started regretting our decision. I was already catching a chill in the air and my hands were shocked by the freezing water. Taise jumped in and soon I had no choice. I didn’t think twice about jumping but a million thoughts went through my head as I was plunging into the water. This was sh*t moment #1. I know it’s silly but I was thinking about all the large fish and marine mammals that could be lurking nearby. Then I thought of how much I detest salt water around my eyes and mouth. I also remembered, too late, the ocean currents that can be so much stronger than those in lakes. (Don’t worry mom)!
On my last morning on the island, I woke up startled for a different reason than usual. I heard multiple voices and this was sh*t moment #2. When you live on an island with only one other person the sound of anything other than birds and boats can be really scary. People don’t usually show up on the island as it is private property that is also a bird research colony which the public is forbidden to enter. I hesitantly opened my cabin door, with my pyjamas on and sleep in my eyes. I was instantly greeted. Two men and one woman stood outside the main cabin talking to Taise. I quickly realized that they were not random people upon seeing their binoculars and outdoor gear. I learned they work for Environment Canada in the Science, Technology, and Wildlife Division. They have been coming for years for sampling gull eggs all across the Gulf Islands. Gull health is an indicator of the presence of chemicals in marine aquatic environments. Recently, flame retardants, Teflon products, etc. have been seeping into the environment and pose great threats to terrestrial and aquatic life. Researchers run tests on the yolk of collected eggs to determine the degree to which an individual may be contaminated with chemicals. While this is inherently vital research to protect wildlife, this is also relevant to us because contaminants can biomagnify in the food chain and lead to toxicity in humans. When you get some perspective you realize collecting eggs on an island leads to publishing data which has the potential to change laws pertaining to environmental standards.
Last week I noticed my leg was swollen with bug bites and started to feel weird. My eye had also been bothering me and goop started to come out of it. I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something. This was sh*t moment #3. I spent my one day off the island visiting a walk-in clinic. The doctor was dressed in a spotless lab coat and he simply could not understand why I had to continue to be on a remote island that was posing a risk to my health. As it turns out, my bug bites were infected and required antibiotics. I asked the doctor what was wrong with my eye and he almost laughed when he said “conjunctivitis, SEVERE pink eye”. So that’s disgusting. I took all my required medication and I am fine. A month away from the island is probably not so terrible right now.
Fieldwork
As mentioned before, the female from the superstar couple is dead. Now the male sings every day hoping for a new mate. How tragic!
I found the second female who had been missing. I watched as she and her mate (who ended up being with her neighbour after all) carried food and disappeared into various bushes. Song sparrows only fly around with food when they have kids to feed. This meant we missed her second nest entirely. Based on the mother’s behaviour, we concluded the parents were feeding juveniles that had already left the nest. This is a problem for us because it’s much harder to band kids that run around on the ground than those peacefully asleep in their nest.
Finally, I spotted the third couple carrying food to the one of four kids that managed to survive.
It’s important in science to not assume that you are right, because as soon as you think you understand a system, it changes.
I’ve continuously been moving traps around the island to catch birds. Unfortunately, one trap was located in a nettle bush. As I was removing a bird, one entire half of my face got stung and it immediately brought tears to my eyes. I wonder if it pleased the bird to see its captor was nearly in tears? Even more unfortunate, 4 of the traps were located at the base of a steep hill which is occupied by an abundance of nesting gulls. They are the fiercest gulls on the island and I fear for my life on this hill.
As I walked from one trap to another, chaos ensued. Gulls would leave their base and defensively hover in the air. I would RUN across the hill, hearing their screams above me. The hill was slippery and sometimes I’d fall and have to get up and keep running as quickly as possible. The boldest gulls would turn sharply in the air and dive towards me. I took shelter as I tried to fend them off. The shelter was my clipboard and it was my only protection against the liquid bombs they would release in my direction. Now re-read this paragraph and replace the word “gulls” with fighter jets it could be interpreted as a soldier in battle, as opposed to the far less serious reality of a master’s student trying not to get sh*t on. After a few times of doing this, I finally got hit.
Sometimes I would catch the same bird three times in one day in a trap. It didn’t matter if I already got their measurements- I have to re-measure each time. Repetition is important to eliminate researchers’ bias and is helping me to be more consistent in my measurements. It was exciting going from being a few mm off each time I measured a body part, to obtaining the exact same number down to the decimal! This brought on sh*t moment #4. There must have been something in the air because every single bird I measured pooped on me. Luckily, it was not nearly as large as that of the gulls, but it was still warm and ran down my hand, so distracting and disgusting!
This is a little gross…The girl in the cabin next to mine made herself at home: she folded and placed all her clothes on shelves, which she leaves on the island at all times. * For reference, I keep all my stuff in a tightly shut bag that I shake out and wash between each trip. As we were packing to leave, I heard her scream. An ant colony had infested all of her clothes. She quite literally had ants in her pants. Even her books were covered in ants. She tossed everything outside in disgust and we watched, fascinated as the ants rapidly transferred their eggs from her belongings to a safer place, securing their lineage.
In one of the nets, I caught a hummingbird by mistake. They are gorgeous birds, it was pretty cool carefully untangling it from the net and appreciating how pretty it was before setting it free.
On the ferry back to Vancouver I was feeling exhausted. It felt like a gift when the captain announced that a pod of killer whales was on the right side of the ship. People rushed to the windows and after a few minutes of waiting, I saw my first whale ever! The sun was setting and at least 5 whales were spread out in front of us. I could see the indicative black-and-white pattern of an orca as each jumped out of the water. The sun caught in the water they sprayed up into the air and it was the most satisfying end to a week.
“Nature surrounds us, from parks and backyards to streets and alleyways. Next time you go out for a walk, remember that we are both inhabitants and stewards of nature in our neighbourhoods”
-david suzuki
Last Updated on June 10, 2023 by Megan Duchesne