In the eerie stillness of a misty Alaskan dawn, Cassandra Ciafro was already on the move by 3 a.m. Clad in camouflage, she melded seamlessly with the rugged cliffs, joining the seabirds in their lofty perches. Her mission? To deploy trackers and observe deitary patterns of the tufted puffin, a key indicator of the region’s fish stocks.
“I’ve always wanted to work with something related to marine science,” said Ciafro. “This experience has helped me grow so much as a person.”
Focusing on biodiversity and conservation, Ciafro, a fourth-year student, embarked on a summer honors project which took her to Middleton Island, Alaska. This project, under the guidance of Professor Kyle Elliott from McGill’s Natural Resource Department along with co-supervisor Katelyn Depot (MSc), focused on the foraging ecology of tufted puffins.
The remote Island, accessible only by air from Anchorage, serves as a hub for the Institute of Seabird Research and Conservation. The institute collaborates with universities, including McGill, McMaster, Bucknell, and Nagoya University (Japan). The research on the island primarily revolves around five bird species: black-legged kittiwakes, pelagic cormorants, rhinoceros auklets, tufted puffins, and glaucous-winged gulls.
Ciafro’s role as a field assistant involved a variety of tasks, from long-term monitoring projects to assisting in feeding schedules. The extra tasks beyond her project meant for long workdays. Ciafro’s primary focus, however, was on the puffins.
Working with the puffins, according to Ciafro, required extreme caution avoiding disturbance that could cause chick abandonment. Despite these challenges, Ciafro and the puffin team deployed remote download GPS trackers on adult birds and used non-invasive camera traps to analyze their food intake. With some colonies containing over 90 burrows, the task was anything but simple. Ciafro, however, overlooked 30.
“I collected data as the birds came and went,” explained Ciafro. “I knew at what point they were diving and at what dept. It was interesting to see different fish species and even squid on occasion.”
Ciafro’s contributions to science highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research and the role of young scientists in advancing our understanding of the environment.
As she continues her studies, Ciafro’s experience on Middleton Island will undoubtedly serve as a cornerstone of her academic and professional journey, and for that, she is extremely grateful.