Ukulele Plucking

After a few short weeks of being in Maine I bought a ukulele.  A month later, I was performing in my first concert with the Puffin Pluckers. This ragtag group of volunteers and staff that all share two things in common - a love for Hog Island and a good time. We strummed, we sang, we had performances on a boat, in a dining hall, and in the Fish House.  The set list was upbeat and the audience was forgiving.

Hog Island isn't my first time living on a remote island a stone's throw off the coast.  Jekyll Island in Georgia will always be my first island living but Hog Island has wiggled its way into my heart and I must admit, I'm looking forward to more ukulele, more singing, and more fun times to be had on the Maine Coast. 

If you're interested in learning more about our education programs or want to sign up for camp, check out our website: hogisland.audubon.org.  

EARLYBIRD gets the worm!

The earlybird does get the worm or at least in this case you save $50 off of Hog Island Audubon Camp registration if you sign up by the end of the day - December 15th. The camp is a life-altering experience that I really do not think you can get anywhere else.  Where else can you see puffins with Dr. Steve Kress, walk the trails that Roger Tory Peterson and Alan Cruickshank gave bird walks, have a chance to spend dinner with the likes of Pete Dunne and Scott Weidensaul?  Also you get to wake up to the sound of loons calling or lobster boats driving by.  The stars are amazing and the darkness is real and engulfing as you walk the silent trails.  The rugged beauty of the Maine coast is something everyone should experience so what are you waiting for?  There are scholarships if you really need some extra help, otherwise sign up today and save a few dollars! The earlybird will get more than a worm while at camp, I can promise you that!

http://hogisland.audubon.org/

Migration and Monhegan

One of my fondest memories of this past summer was the night we spent with campers on Monhegan Island.  Monhegan sits far our in the Gulf of Maine and it a perfect land beacon for migranting birds as they travel south. We hiked up to a open hillside for sunrise and watched the migrant show at it's best. Flyover warblers, shorebirds, and raptors graced the skies above and a few even landed for closer inspection.

We watched raptors diving over the Monhegan forests and heard Bobolinks calling high in the sky.  We were even given great views of a couple of Whimbrels that made repeated flyovers that morning.

Whimbrel over Monhegan taken by Tom Johnson

Of course the main attraction was after sunrise when we hiked the Monhegan trails in search of migrants busily feeding on trees and bush.  We were able to identify 19 species of wood-warblers that day in addition to seeing three species of vireos in one binocular field of view!  In addition, we had a rare Black-crowned Night Heron at the Ice Pond and so many Merlins you couldn't count them all.  

Prairie Warbler on Monhegan taken by Tom Johnson

If you're thinking about joining the Hog Island Audubon Camp on Monhegan next year, you're in luck!  We have two weeks of migration camp with two different sets of prices.  The first session will be a lower price as we will just do a day trip to Monhegan.  The second session of Living on the Wind: Migration and Monhegan will be higher in price but will include an overnight on the island and a chance to see this sunrise birding firsthand!  Of course spaces are limited and we are selling out fast.  I hope you'll consider joining us next summer. 

Road Scholar Sessions

Removing lobster industry debris from Eastern Egg Rock

This September I had the pleasure to work with a great group of Road Scholar students at Hog Island Audubon Camp.  During the week-long camp they removed exotic vegetation, picked up miles of shoreline trash, and improved seabird habitat.

Mary removing debris on Eastern Egg Rock

If you're looking for a fun week of service and you should consider signing up for the Hog Island Audubon Camp's Road Scholar sessions - there are two, one in the spring and one in the fall.  If you come to camp I can guarantee that you'll make a difference for nesting seabirds and you'll meet some new friends along the way.

Hog Island Family Camp

Hog Island Audubon Camp host a lovely week for families each August.  Next summer there will be two sessions!  The week is filled with outside activities to keep the kids engaged and the parents excited as well.  Between boat trips and craft projects, the camp strives to have something for everyone. On many days there are optionals where the campers can select which activity appeals to them most.  These range from Pond Study to Squid Dissection.

Spotting an Osprey on the Shakedown Cruise

There are a couple of boat trips sprinkled in the week and this year all the campers had the chance to see Puffins!  This is late in the season for puffins but enough were still around to delight all the attendees.

One of the best activities and involves the whole camp is the Inter-tidal Exploration.  This involves everything from seining to rock scrambling. The evening is capped with a delectable exotic periwinkle snack cooked over an open fire on the beach.

On depature the campers are surprised by our "puffins" that sing and dance on the dock as the Snow Goose takes them back to shore.  The mix of grandparents, parents, kids, instructors, and volunteers make this a special week not to be forgotten. Next year the camp is expanding to include 13 year-old campers.  One session will be 8-12 year-olds and the second will be 8-13 year-olds. If you have kids, this should be on your bucket list.  It will be a week to never forget!

Puffins with Steve Kress

Eastern Egg Rock, ME

When Steve Kress, founder of Project Puffin, calls you up and asks if you want to join him for a boat ride to Eastern Egg Rock the answer is always yes.  The opportunity to see puffins with Steve seemed a little surreal.  Recently arrived to Hog Island, I was happy to find my Friday afternoon in company of a great ornithologist on a trip to see the species he brought back to the Maine coast.

Rose and Steve share a laugh.

We headed out to Eastern Egg Rock with great weather, calm seas, and a high tide.  We were going to pick up Rose Borzik, who has been working with Project Puffin for over 20 years.  We scooped her up from the dingy and circled the island in such of the sea parrot. 

Atlantic Puffin, Fratercula arctica

Puffins can be a little hard to see in August but we were in luck as one flew right at the boat and landed a mere 30 feet away.  The Atlantic Puffin is a silly looking football-shaped bird with a colorful beak and a tuxedo suit.  Our puffin had a mouth full of fish and seaweed and casually watched us, diving sporadically until it decided it had its full investigation satisfied.

It was the only puffin of the trip but it was a perfect specimen that gave us wonderful looks as we idled in the boat.  Our trip was smooth on the return and the sun gave a hint of setting as it brightly lit up the Queen Mary on Hog Island.  A great welcome to Maine and my life on Hog Island!

Hog Island Audubon Camp, Maine

Hands-on Bird Science

Hands-on Bird Science is probably the most exciting session of Hog Island Audubon Camp, in my personal opinion.  You take Scott Weidensaul and a stellar team of ornithologists with backgrounds in bird-song recording, bird-banding, and museum specimen preparation and you not just watch but learn how to get "hands-on" with birds.  This is a great session for naturalists of all levels, educators, volunteer bird-banders, and just anyone that wants to learn about birds in a "hands-on" fashion.

Also, in case you didn't know, Hog Island is all across the social media platforms.  Find the camp on Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube!

Breaking Into Birding

Do you remember the spark bird that turned you from casual observer to birdwatcher?  Mine was a group of birds - warblers.  It occurred in the spring of 2007 at Green Cay Nature Center & Wetlands.  Something about identifying the birds felt so perfect.

If you know someone that has an interest in birds but isn't a full-fledged birder yet then I have a place that is sure to spark their love of birding. Breaking Into Birding is a new session at Hog Island Audubon Camp that is purposely geared towards beginners.  We promise to delight the senses, show people beautiful birds, and hopefully find them that spark bird that changes their life.

No experience is necessary and we have world-class instructors there to guide you every inch of the way.  You will see Atlantic Puffins on Egg Rock and nesting Ospreys on Hog Island.  The food is fresh and local, while the accommodations are rustic Maine cabins.  Be a part of Hog Island history and let us row you ashore.  There's only 8 spots left, so register today!

Hog Island Audubon Camp

This island is so beautiful it really makes my heart ache!

Why, it seems to me God's own heaven

can hardly be more perfect.

- Mabel Loomis Todd

Hog Island Audubon Camp has been on my wishlist of destinations for many years now. Roger Tory Peterson, Allan Cruickshank, Rachel Carson, Scott Weidensaul, Kenn Kaufman, and many more have spent time there, taught classes there, been a part of birding history, and now I get to add my name to the distinguished list.

Photo by Stephen Kress

In college I was interested in everything and nothing. Two semesters I volunteered at a banding station but then like the wind my attention went elsewhere. Years later I taught "Ornithology" classes but I mostly was trying to get kids to appreciate the biology of birds and the fact that they exist.  I couldn't identify flycatchers or gulls but I was somehow qualified to take kids in the woods to a pond that had Black-crowned Night Herons and Wood Storks.

The real birding came later. In 2007 I started working at Green Cay Nature Center and I immersed myself in identifying spring migrants.  I was hooked on warblers like an addiction and it hasn't stopped since. Now my vacations consist of birding trips and my work is once again back in the world of birds.

Photo by Stephen Kress

This summer I will be working and living at the Hog Island Audubon Camp as the Program Manager. I won't be an instructor but more of a director of people as they go from boats to dining halls to cabins.  I also plan to do a lot of birding and really delve into the allure of The Hog.

Photo by Stephen Kress

If Hog Island is on your wish list, why don't you join me? We still have openings for a few of the sessions. I think the Hands-on Bird Science led by Scott Weidensaul is going to be especially interesting. Bird banding, songbird recording, taxidermy, you name it!  Or for those beginner birders try Breaking Into Birding.  We have something for all walks of life.  If you're an educator we have Educator's Week or if you're just a birding fan we have Joy of Birding or Field Ornithology. The best part - this is a summer camp for adults. For many of us, that's something that feels right, that feels nostalgic.  Why not go to camp this summer? I'm going to be there, I hope you join me!

Puffin Info

Brushing up on puffins for the new job - thought this infographic was pretty cute.  If you want to come see a puffin this summer you should sign up for a week of Hog Island Audubon Camp!  Added bonus is you'll also spend some time with me on the island.