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SeeBird Program

Gulls fly around Gull IslandThe Gull Island SeeBird Program is the product of 5 years of experimenting with remote video installations at Kachemak Bay's Gull Island seabird rookery. The objective was to develop the best, most cost effective system possible and share information about the process with anyone else interested in the technology.

Experience taught us that components had to be simple but technologically advanced. The system had to be reliable and relatively inexpensive to operate and upgrade. Everything had to stand up to harsh, Alaskan weather. Controls had to be easy and fun to use. The new SeeBird camera system was designed with those things in mind.

Who created it?

Rock arch on Gull IslandThe SeeBird camera system was assembled by Alaska Industrial Security, LLC (right here in Homer, Alaska) under contract with the Pratt Museum. Components from many sources were used, including a camera module from another local business, SeeMore Wildlife Systems, Inc. The SeeBird camera system was installed on Gull Island in early June 2002. During the first three months of field-testing, it met all major project requirements. Equipment on the island continued to function without need of maintenance throughout the summer, responding dependably to controls at the museum and sending high quality images of nesting seabirds. Only minor problems were encountered with the camera module lens wiper and microphone and the museum's rooftop, equipment power supply.

Why Create A New System?

Sea Gull with snow covered mountains in the backgroundDuring the first four years of the museum's remote video program, 1998-2001, installations were done through a service contract arrangement with a local business. Hardware was owned, installed, maintained, and retrieved at the end of each season by the contractor. There were both advantages and disadvantages to the arrangement. It reduced the need for technical staff at the museum and eliminated some of the expense of frequent equipment upgrades during a period of extensive research and development. However, the museum could not select the equipment and the type of control mechanism employed. The contractor determined when and how changes would be made, favoring increasingly costly and complex systems and services. The Pratt decided that, to reduce cost and increase control over system design and use, the museum needed to own and operate equipment used on Gull Island.

Science and technology internships for high school students are an important part of the Kachemak Bay Discovery program. With service contract video systems, students were limited to using the technology to observe and study wildlife. The SeeBird Program has allowed students to learn how remote video systems are assembled. Pratt Museum interns have even helped deploy, maintain, and even modify the SeeBird system.

Who made it all possible?

Tufted PuffinMost funding for the SeeBird Program was provided by a generous grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as part of restitution funds paid to benefit the marine waters of Alaska. Supplemental support came from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Toyota USA Foundation. The US Geological Survey Biological Resources Division conducts seabird research on Gull Island and provided staff time, scientific guidance, staff training, and student mentoring. As legal owner of Gull Island, Seldovia Native Association permitted museum personnel and USGS-BRD scientists to maintain the camera installation and conduct research on the island.