Flight of the Kuakas

     Don Stap uses many different techniques to describe and analyze the Kuakas.  He uses very descriptive language to inform the reader about the birds and their environment.  From the first sentence, "In February, at 37 degrees 12 minutes south latitude..."  This puts the reader in an exact location and feel for the story.  Stap writes primarily as a scientist as he uses exact names for the birds and objects.  Using this specific language not only throughly informs the reader but brings them in because the words are able to tell a story.  Some scientists when they write inform readers with nothing but definitions and data.  Although using some definitions and data, Stap educates the readers by incorporating these definitions into a story.
     Stap also understands the difficulty of remembering the bird names, so he effectively italicizes each time he uses Kuaka and Baueri.  This ability to reinforce the readers with information is also done when he includes direct quotes from other scientists on the mission.  Since the article is mainly a scientific diagnosis of the birds, Stap understands the importance of making sure the reader keeps up.  He also describes these other scientists which puts the writing on a more personal level and creates an easier relatable story.  Stap makes a topic I would normally think to be boring and not exciting, interesting and easy to follow with his use of descriptive language.