Alaska SeaLife Center news

Haunted house date change

The Alaska SeaLife Center Haunted House will be open Friday and Saturday. The house will not be open Sunday. Haunted house hours are 7 to 10 p.m., with cost $3 per adult and $1.50 per child.

New birds arrive

The center is the new home for a small flock of Red-legged Kittiwakes. Their Aleut names translates into "the bird that talks a lot."

They are slightly smaller than the familiar Black-legged Kittiwakes, Red-legged Kittiwakes also nest on cliff ledges, feed on small fish and are cousins to the gull. The birds are endemic to the Bering Sea and could only be seen at the end of the Aleutian Chain or the Pribilof Islands. Eighty percent of the world's population of these birds are found on St. George Island.

The species develops red legs in the summer following hatching. Over the past 20 years, there has been a 50 percent decline in their population numbers and the causes are unknown. Currently the United States Fish and Wildlife Service lists the bird as a species of concern. The center is the only institution in the world housing this species of seabird.

Eggs in the harbor bottom

Once again the center has successful Irish Lord spawning occurring in the harbor bottom exhibit on the first floor. So far, two egg masses have been deposited. Last year, the first mass was hot pink and the second bright blue. There are three more females for the resident male to mate with, so hopefully there will be even more colorful masses in the next week.