This week, I completed a 4-month curatorial apprenticeship job-shadowing the Cowan Tetrapod Collection (CTC) Curatorial Assistant, Ildiko Szabo. I learned all aspects of tetrapod museum curation from preparing bird and mammal specimens, accessioning, to helping to install the new bird exhibit.
Tristan in the collection.
Last summer, after completing first year science at UBC, I was looking to gain a greater understanding of biology and the direction of current biological research. I became a volunteer in the museum’s education department, interacting with museum visitors and presented featured activities on the museum floor. Last fall’s lunchtime activity was on birds of prey. It was the first time I really thought about flight and took a closer look at the vast morphological differences between birds. I have watched David Attenborough’s documentaries where he spoke of the magnificence of flight, but actually holding owl wings in my hands took the topic to another level. I loved the intricate comb-like structures on the leading edge of the outer flight feathers and the softness of the wing that allow for virtually silent flight.
After finishing 2nd year in the UBC/BCIT Biotechnology Program, I attended a tetrapod specimen preparation session held by Ildiko Szabo and Chris Stinson of the CTC to understand how specimens enter the collections and get hands-on experience learning about birds and mammals. The second time I attended, the most initially shocking yet memorable case of the summer came in. It was an electrocuted gull that had experienced a lot of trauma. It had “cooked” tissue around the electrocution entry and exit wounds, a severed trachea, and feathers completely lacking vanes with curled feather shafts. When the gull rolled out of the plastic bag, I was overwhelmed by the unique smell of singed feathers and cooked meat; reminiscent of burnt chicken soup. I was stunned. Previously in school I have only been presented with “clean” specimens.
Close-up of the singed seagull feathers. Photo by Tristan Lee.
Since then, I have prepared many specimens, but this electrocuted gull wing is still one of my favourites. To date, I have prepared round study skins of a juvenile Flammulated Owl named “Hootie” who died at a wildlife rehabilitation facility, a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk, a Short-eared Owl, a dominant male Ruff from a SFU research project, a Western Rosella, an Eastern Grey Squirrel, several Snowshoe Hares, an Eastern Cottontail, and cleaned a Harbour Porpoise skull. Tuesday museum preparation lab days are special because I get to learn so much comparative morphology and because of the friendly and interesting volunteers that come.
This summer I accessioned donations and newly prepared birds into the collection’s database. I added 165 specimens to the Research and Teaching Collections. Nine are new species to the CTC. They included a Guinea Turaco, Oriental Greenfinch, Purple-glossy Starling, and Red-throated Parrotfinch, but my favourite is the Western Rosella that I prepared. I took him throughout his journey from being a frozen parrot in the freezer to putting him in his proper taxonomic place in the tall black cabinets in the museum. I have been a part of so many aspects of the museum this summer, doing diverse tasks such as picking up donations, assisting in the installation of the bird cabinet display by setting up a beauty salon to primp and make the bird mounts look their best, to spring cleaning of the walk-in freezer!
Feather down under a compound miscroscope. Photo by Tristan Lee.
I love using microscopes because of the hidden world they unveil. At 100 and 400 magnifications, the feather down of different bird orders and families have unique nodal structures and pigmentation patterns. When airport airstrike bird samples arrive at the CTC, these characteristics, along with whole feathers and bone fragments are used to identify the samples to species. I learned how to make feather down microscope slides and spent many hours helping to create the feather down reference collection in this very CSI discipline.
Tristan Lee with Curator of Birds Ildiko Szabo.
Looking back at this summer, I am just realizing how much we accomplished in 4 months as well as how much I have personally learned and been inspired. It is thanks to the integrity, thoughtfulness, and dedication of the CTC staff, Ildiko and Chris, who put so much energy into their work that make the CTC such a special place to be. While I am sad to leave the CTC behind as I return to school this September, I will continue to volunteer on the museum floor where I am excited to see so many of the projects come to life.