Frosty Feathers: Avian Tales of Winter Survival

Submitted by Amy Hartley
Phone: 907-474-5823
02/17/09

Birds fly to Alaska from around the world to breed under the Midnight Sun. However, when days grow short and temperatures drop, only a handful remain to brave the winter in Interior Alaska. On Feb. 17, the fifth installment in the Science for Alaska Lecture Series will examine the wintering strategies of Interior birds that rely only on their muscles, feathers and fat to help them through the long, cold winter.

"Frosty Feathers: Avian Tales of Winter Survival" will begin at 7 p.m. in the Westmark Gold Room. There, Susan Sharbaugh will discuss some of the amazing adaptations and behavioral tricks that Interior birds such as chickadees, ravens and redpolls due to survive winter in Interior Alaska.

Susan Sharbaugh is the senior scientist at the Alaska Bird Observatory in Fairbanks.

The Science for Alaska Lecture Series is a six-part series in Fairbanks that covers a broad range of science topics that are specific to the state. The 2009 series runs every Tuesday evening through Feb. 24 at the Westmark Gold Room.

Educational demonstrations begin at 6:30 p.m. and all ages are welcome at this free family event.

The Geophysical Institute, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company sponsor the 2009 Science for Alaska Lecture Series.

CONTACT: The Alaska Bird Observatory at 907-451-7159 or birds@alaskabird.org. Geophysical Institute information officer Amy Hartley at 907-474-5823 or amy.hartley@gi.alaska.edu.

ON THE WEB: www.scienceforalaska.com