On June 11 I left to go to Maine for the Coastal Maine Bird Studies For Teens at Hog Island, Maine. I had a great time there! Everyone was so nice and I learned a lot of new stuff. It was definitely worth the two plane flights that I had to take to get there. We did many different activities, had many nice speakers and saw many different birds.
To start, the activities we did were run by very nice people who were willing to tell us all about what they were doing. We did hikes and boat rides where we saw many species of birds. We learned about bird banding and about prepping bird skins, both of which people do as ways to study birds. We even learned about doing art from Jennifer (the artist resident) and about marine life from Heather (one of our counselors). I learned a lot from all our counselor and even from the other campers. It was great being able to do so many fun activities with all the great people there.
Next, there were the speakers. They were all very nice and very helpful. At the end of each day a different speaker would come and talk about a different topic. On the first day Steve talked about the history of the Islands and Project Puffin. We also had the option to buy one of his Project Puffin books and have it signed. On the second day the instructors talked about their degree and how they got into birds. On the third day Eric talked about the solar panels. Then Iain talked about bird migration and the effects of climate change on birds. On the fourth day Zack talked about the Audubon Community Science Programs. All of the talks were very informative and helpful.
Finally, there were all the birds that we got to see. I got to see a lot of new birds during camp. I didn’t know what birds to expect to see other than terns, gulls, and puffins. There were all different kinds of birds both on and around the Islands. Egg rock is where we saw the puffins and were attacked by the aggressive terns. In total I saw 37 different kinds of birds and 11 of them I had never seen before.
Overall, I think that the Hog Island Camp is a wonderful camp. I had loads of fun and made lots of friends. I learned a lot more than I thought I would in those five days. I am very thankful that I was able to attend the Hog Island camp. It is truly an amazing camp and I would suggest it to any one who loves nature.