Oil+and+Feathers

Purpose:
To identify ways oil spills can adversely affect birds and describe possible negative consequences to wildlife, people, and the environment from pollutants caused by humans.

Background
The impacts of environmental pollution are often difficult to see. A major oil spill like the one in the Gulf of Mexico can provide dramatic evidence of harm to wildlife living in that region. Oil spills along coasts affect many parts of the environment, both nonliving such as water, ocean bottom, and shoreline and living such as sea birds, marine mammals, and shellfish. Oil-soaked animals may try to clean themselves and, in doing so, often ingest the oil that is poisonous to them.

When a spill occurs, specially trained teams swing into action to try to keep the oil away from animals and their habitats. They try to encourage the animals to move to safe areas away from the spill. A rescue and treatment center is set up for animals injured by spilled oil. Oiled animals need trained people to collect, clean, and rehabilitate them in a facility with space, ventilation, controlled temperature, and hot and cold water.

Materials
Goggles 1 Plastic Cup (reusable) Cooking Oil Water Hand Lens Feathers – Natural 3 Hard-boiled Eggs Dawn Dishwashing Detergent Medicine Dropper Large Tub (to fit 3 eggs per group) Newspaper to cover table Paper Towels

Introduction
Name some birds that live near water. What kinds of things do water birds do? How do feathers help the water birds?

Procedure:
1.Mark your three hard-boiled eggs with a sharpie and gently place them into the cooking oil in the large tub.

2.Remove one egg after 5 minutes and remove the excess oil with the paper towels from the outside. Examine it, holding the egg up to the light, before, during, and after peeling off the shell. Record your observations here:
 * Before:
 * During:
 * After:

3.Remove the second egg after 15 minutes and remove the excess oil with the paper towels from the outside. Examine it, holding the egg up to the light, before, during, and after peeling off the shell. Record your observations here:
 * Before:
 * During:
 * After:

4. Remove the third egg after 30 minutes and remove the excess oil with the paper towels from the outside. Examine it, holding the egg up to the light, before, during, and after peeling off the shell. Record your observations here:
 * Before:
 * During:
 * After:

5. What effect could oil have on the eggs of birds nesting near the water?

6. While your waiting to make your egg observations, examine a feather with a hand lens and sketch your observation.

7. Dip the feather into the cup of water for 1 or 2 minutes, examine it again with a hand lens, and sketch your observation. Compare them to the original observations.

8. Predict what will happen to the oil when you drop 5 drops of cooking oil into the cup of water. Will it sink, float, or mix in?

9. Add the 5 drops of oil to the cup of water. Place the feather into the cup oil and water mixture for 1 or 2 minutes; then examine with a hand lens. Sketch the feather below. Compare the sketch with other sketches.

10.Clean the feather in detergent, rinse it in water, and dry it. Examine it with a hand lens and sketch it. Compare it your drawing to the previous sketches.

11. What happened to the feathers when they got oiled? How do you think a water bird with oiled feathers might be affected?

Follow Up Interview Questions:
1. How do you think oily feathers might affect birds’ behavior?

2. Why do you think an oil spill is dangerous to animals that live in a marine habitat?

3. When oil reaches the shoreline, what other problems might occur?

4. What are some other examples of pollutants that affect Earth’s natural resources?

PA State Standards in Science and Technology – Grade 4
3.2.4.C Recognize and use the elements of scientific inquiry to solve problems.

4.3.4.A Know that plants, animals, and humans are dependent on air and water.

4.3.4.B Identify how human actions affect environmental health.

4.3.4.C Understand that the elements of natural systems are interdependent.

4.1.4.C Identify living things found in water environments.