It was a pretty exciting week here in Maine because I had the opportunity to experience something that most people are not able to do. I mean a lot of the things that I do at the refuge, most people can’t do. But this one was pretty special. 

Went into the week by first doing some trail maintenance on Birch Point Trail, flagging out a new property line that will eventually be a new trail on this new refuge property, and then picking up more lovely bundles of shingles for Petit Manan Island.

Another thing about Maine that is different from home is how you can go a whole day or even multiple days without seeing the sun because the fog never burns off like it normally does back home. That made Tuesday an exciting day, when we had to navigate through some thick fog to get to Petit Manan. Once we got there, we offloaded the shingles and other supplies and then we got off as well. That was the day we would be going around the whole island and inputting all the flagged Tern nests. We were each given a GPS and began inputting all the flagged nests into the system and marking which grid it would be in and what species it was. As we were walking around the island inputting data, I was told that I would get my Puffin experience today as well. We reached the “Puffin Condos and Apartments.” I was told I would most likely not be able to hold an adult Puffin because the chicks are old enough and don’t need to be brooded. The adults feed the chicks so quickly that we probably wouldn’t find one in a burrow. A chunky Puffin chick was noodled out of its burrow and I was very surprised at what I was looking at. The chicks are kind of ugly and old looking… and they sure don’t look like the adults because they just have a plain black bill unlike the adults. I learned that the chicks will not get their bill coloration until they are about 5 years old and that’s when you know they are sexually mature. 

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We kept walking and inputting GPS waypoints while I kept my fingers crossed that I would be able to hold an adult Puffin. We reached the old torn down foundation where the crew have placed makeshift Puffin burrow boxes and we began checking them to find more chicks. One of the interns lifted up the top of a box and quickly shut it with a shocked look on his face. I just knew that there was an adult in there. The adult Puffin sure put up one heck of a fight. It let a putrid poop fly that he managed to smear all over himself in the process of being handed over to me. Puffin’s are so unique in the way they are colored and the distinct designs on them. Bucket list item has been checked off. 

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When it was time to leave the island, I asked if it would be possible for me to get a picture with a Guillemot. Same thing as the Puffins, I would only be able to hold a chick and not an adult. We got to the boat house and soon were noodlin’ out a Guillemot chick from under a stack of lumber. Once again, I was surprised by what I saw because I was expecting bright red legs and a single white spot on both wings but it was just an all-black fluff ball that flashed its salmon pink mouth every time it tried to snap at someone. Overall, Tuesday was a great day marking off a couple of species off my seabird list.

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Wednesday came around with more dense fog and yet no sight of the sun. We were tasked with going out to the Brothers Islands and taking down an old cabin on Western Brothers that has been out there for a little over 3 years. We were then to go over to Eastern Brothers to grab the blind and to take it back to the office with us. A gloomy boat ride and we made it to the Brothers. Brothers used to have tons of seabirds on the island, but they have had predator problems that can’t seem to be solved. On the islands, it is very common for Minks and Otters to roam and terrorize the seabird colonies. We rowed into Western Brothers and were soon taking down the insides of the cabin. I was in charge with labeling and taking out the insulation along the walls without breaking them… Let’s just say they were prone to breaking in half when I would try and wedge them out of the wall pieces. Lunchtime came up and I was told the biologist was collecting bees for research and she couldn’t seem to find them flying around.  

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They know I have eagle eyes and sure enough, just sitting on the ground for about 5 minutes I was able to point them out to the biologist who caught 4 bees and was constantly running around with her net. She would sit down for just a second about to take a bite of her lunch and I’d already spotted another bee. Then back to it we went. 

I helped with taking down the shower rack outside and once we picked up the standing platform from the ground, it was a Guillemot murder scene. Those dang Minks have stuffed about 6 Guillemots underneath the cabin and the platform. Once we were done and waiting for low tide, we were able to head over to Eastern Brothers. Eastern and Western Brothers are connected by a tidal bar that can easily be walked across but, in my case, I had to walk across it barefoot because I forgot my rubber boots. My feet were frozen while I was walking across the stream and climbing up the steep rocks of Eastern Brothers but, hey, at least my socks didn’t get wet! I put my shoes back on and looked up at the tall steep point of Eastern that we had to climb and retrieve the blind. Out of breath and up at the top of Eastern, I was a little disappointed because the fog had not let up so that I could see the massive cliffs of Eastern. What felt like a mile later, we arrived at the blind. We each grabbed a panel and began walking another mile to get to the shore so that we could load it onto the boat. Once all the panels were down at the shore, 2 of the crew went to get the boat while another person and I began lugging the panels down the slippery, rocky shore to the water. Because we had all the panels in a good spot for pick up, I began exploring and looking for tidal pools. I found one really cool tidal pool that had so many beautiful colors in it — pink, green, blue, yellow, and so many others. It even had some Sea Urchins. The boat came and were soon rushing to put the panels in the boat so that the boat wouldn’t bottom out. Once all the panels were in, back to the mainland we went.

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Thursday was a short day at Petit Manan, but Friday was a long day at Ship Island. We made it to Ship and were soon doing more ground checks and predator checks in the returning colony. We now have a bunch of fledgers on the island but also have a lot of newly hatched chicks and new nests showing up every day. We can only hope that the adult Terns don’t leave early as that means a lot of the colony would not survive. Once we got done with the pass-through on the beach, we broke up into groups and began to work on nest site plots. I was partnered with one of the biologists where I pretty much wrote down all the information about the randomized plots. In the process of doing these nest plot sites, I picked up an egg just to observe it and it moved in my hand, which I thought was pretty cool because that means by the end of the day, a new Tern chick should arrive. After about 6 or 7 nest plots, it was time to call it a day and end the week on good “Terns.”

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Quote of the week: “It’s craaaaaaaazzzyy” ~ Linda Welch’s famous saying

Just one more week left of work until my time here is done. I’m so ready to be back home but at the same time, I’m going to miss my refuge family and working here in Maine. It has been such a great experience working for this phenomenal refuge this summer and acquiring new knowledge and skills that I can take back home with me to use later in my career.

Monday was a short day but with an awesome ending. We did some maintenance at Corea to start off the day. I was put behind the brush mower to mow at the trail head and along the trail. The brush mower was so large that I could barely lift and turn it. Let’s just say it had a mind of its own even though I was supposed to be the operator. We finished up early so that we could get ready for my last dinner with the crew. I went back to the cabin to get ready for the dinner and then headed out to Frazer Point at the Schoodic Peninsula. On the menu for the dinner was lobster, steak, potatoes, corn, and stuffed mushrooms. We picked the perfect spot right on the shore to cook the dinner. It was so nice to hang out with the crew outside of work where we can just relax, play with the dogs, play bocce, and have some great food. We first cooked the steak, mushrooms, potatoes, corn and in my opinion each were cooked perfectly. Then we boiled the lobster. I picked my lobster, thinking that I had mastered how to crack them and get the meat but I ended up being the last to finish. Partly because I apparently hadn’t mastered the art cracking and partly because I wanted to savor it and the moment. Lastly, we topped off our delicious meal with a slice of amazing strawberry pie. I was so full that I was about to go into a food coma. My crew surprised me with a going away gift that I absolutely love. I was given a chainsaw carved Maine Black Bear that everyone signed. Did I mention that I totally love the people I work with? 

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The next day was also short but I was able to add Eastern Island and Sally Island to my growing island list. I ended my day by entering GPS waypoints on flagged Tern nests on Petit Manan. Wednesday rolled around and it was time to close down Petit Manan Island for the season. We got to Petit Manan and were quickly on our way to the house to clean. One of the interns spotted an adult Guillemot on the lawn, which is not normal for a Guillemot, so we all ran to catch it before it flew off. We caught the Guillemot, read its band, took its wing chord, and weighed it. We also checked to make sure the Guillemot was okay because it is not normal for them to be this close to the house. Once we were done collecting data, I was finally able to hold an adult Guillemot. Guillemots are so cute with their unique colorations and their whistles. The interns took the Guillemot down to the boat house and released it back into the ocean. Next thing I know, I am helping clean out the cistern in the basement of the house. Being small has its advantages, or maybe not… I was the one that had to go inside the cistern. I stood on a little board of wood and was reaching over the divider taking out full buckets of water from reservoir. I also had to wet-vac the over flow to prevent any standing water in the reservoir and clean and wet-vac the insides of the water tanks. We had a little free time to go and do invasive species control out at the old foundation on Petit Manan. Nightshade, a woody vine was our targeted species. Although it has a pretty purple flower it can choke out all other native species in the area. Closing down an island for the off-season is pretty detailed here at Maine Coastal Islands NWR.

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I fulfilled my outreach project for AmeriCorps at the visitor center in Rockland on Thursday. My outreach audience was a group of high-risk youths. As I walked in, 3 Tern decoys in my hands, I was nervous. Would they be interested in what I was about to tell them? Would they even care at all about the seabirds on the coast of Maine or my experiences? I set the decoys down on the table and I began talking. Once I started talking I could quickly tell it was my Texan accent that got their attention. They started asking questions about where I was from and what it’s like in Texas. One of the kids saw my belt buckle and found it funny that I wore something that big on my belt. I laughed and explained how I won it at our local livestock show & rodeo showing my Boer goat. I also tend to say the word “y’all” a lot, so they began to say the word “y’all” every time they spoke. I took them on a tour of the visitor center and they seemed to enjoy it. We did a couple interactive activities such as finding Tern nests in photographs, finding eggs on the artificial island, banded fake birds, and identified seabirds. After about 2 hours of being at the visitor center I escorted them back to their area. I played a game of pool with one kid and got my rear kicked but I had fun and so did he! I stayed for a piece a pizza with them and then said goodbye and headed back to the Roland’s House in Rockland. In the end, I realized I can’t make people interested in the same things I’m interested in but I can still express to them this is my passion and one day they will find their passion too!

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Friday was not a typical day at work. I attended the GOMSWG meeting on Hog Island. GOMSWG stands for Gulf of Maine Seabird Working Group. This group gets together every year to discuss seabird activity in the Gulf of Maine. The Terns were of particular interest this year. There were about 20 island intern groups that presented at the meeting. Each expressing how well or how bad the seabird productivity was on their island.  After the presentations, we sat down to a delicious vegan lunch. Next, we heard from the biologists and researchers who presented seven PowerPoint presentations. It sounded like this year was pretty good for the seabirds. Mission accomplished!  

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Quote of the week: “if you love it, then you should put a band on it” ~ Bobby Brittingham, Island Intern on Ship Island