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. 

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!

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.  

Celebration - New Job, Master's Degree, New Beginnings

Today I finished my Master's of Science in Recreation & Parks Management.  This three year endeavor has been stressful at times, fun at others, but tonight I completed my final requirements in the presence of a few dear friends and my advisor.  I am indebted to each of my cohort peers, my family, but ultimately a huge thanks to my lovely Lark for always supporting me.

The other big news is I also just finished my last day of work in Colorado (for now) and am officially moving to New York to join the Audubon as their new Hog Island Program Manager.  I'll be in Ithaca for Fall, Winter, and Spring and in Breman, Maine for most of the long summer.  I can't wait to start this new chapter though the road may be bumpy at times.

Hog Island, Maine

Colorado will be missed but I'll focus on the future for now and who knows, we may one day be back.