Today we donned our raingear and boots to head out in the misty rain to Caughey-Taylor Nature Preserve (Sam Orr’s Pond) for the morning. This is a special location as it contains two brackish ponds that only receive saltwater on the very high tides. Due to this, the water is allowed to warm up and these ponds are home to a number of animals, including quahogs, which are found nowhere else in the area. The preserve is also special as it is composed of freshwater, brackish and saltwater environments.
To sample what is living in this unique location we brought along buckets, dip nets and a seine. Some of the species the students found included mummichogs, fourspine sticklebacks, mysid shrimp and a sand shrimp. While along the trail they also saw signs of squirrels and heard chickadees, a belted kingfisher and a loon.
This afternoon the students had a tour of an aquaculture facility where sturgeon are being raised for caviar. Too bad but there was no taste testing! The students then headed into St. Andrews to explore and visit some of the shops.
This evening, as their last activity on campus, the students will be conducting behaviour experiments with some of the invertebrates that they collected earlier in the week.
Thank you for the Essex group for a wonderful visit. Have a safe trip home tomorrow!
Who can catch more fish? The students with the dip nets...
or with the seine net?
Some of the catch.
Along the trail.
Sturgeon at the aquaculture facility.
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