Since the Guide is now on CD-ROM , the activities, newsletter stories, and references are interactively linked. Activities in this guide encourage problem solving, critical thinking and cooperative learning. Learning objectives, key concepts, and materials required are listed for each activity. Oil spills can severely threaten sea bird populations by destroying the natural waterproofing and insulating properties of feathers. It is best to obtain feathers from a poultry farm or zoo.
All birds are waterproof because of the way their feathers are constructed and overlap.
Barbules on the vane interlock in such a fashion that water cannot pass through. Attempts to clean oiled birds using strong detergents also remove natural oils from feathers, so that birds lose their natural conditioning. Handling of birds causes added stress to the animal. Part A 1. Working in groups of three or four, students will first determine the average volume of a drop of oil by counting the number of drops required to get 1 ml.