Bountifulbombus - *Common Loon Screaming At 3am*

Bombus auricomus

SHE’S A QUEEN!!!!!!!

Odocoileus virginianus - White-tailed Deer

Birding Adventures

Today I went birding. It was freezing, but it was worth it. Here's a list of what I saw, I'll post pictures soon. (Unfortunately I don't have pictures of all the birds) -Indigo Bunting (2) -Wood Thrush (7) -Eastern Bluebird (5) -Blue Jay (8) -American Robin (9) -Northern Flicker (1) -Wild Tukey (2) -Black Vulture (6) -Turkey Vulture (3) -Scarlet Tanager (1) -Baltimore Oriole (3) -Tree Swallow (27) -Barn Swallow (13) -American Goldfinch (4) -Field Sparrow (3) -Yellow-rumped Warbler (2) -Red-bellied Woodpecker (2) -Pileated Woodpecker (1)

This is Jane. She's the APPLE of my eye.

Hog Island Audubon

Some of you may know that this past June I went to the Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens Audubon camp on Hog Island, off the coast of Maine. I wanted to make a post to let you all know about how great it was. 

It’s an incredible program that allowed me to meet some great birders and ornithologists. Thanks to this camp, I was able to connect with people who have similar interests. I learned so much about birds, along with many other things. Here are some of the absolutely amazing things I learned about during this camp: The history of Hog Island, the history of the Hog Island Audubon Camp, Project Puffin, Project Snowstorm, shorebird ecology, the science behind birdsong, global warming’s affect on the gulf of Maine and other places around the world, understanding bird behavior, and even a bit of marine biology and geology. 

The food is amazing, honestly I was surprised by how great it was. They can accommodate to almost any diet, the food is locally sourced, and it’s all delicious. It’s definitely not your average camp food, this isn’t exactly an average camp though anyway. It’s wonderful. The staff there are very nice, helpful, and easy to talk to. There is an artist-in residence who you can talk to about art and maybe learn a thing or two from. I myself learned quite a bit about field sketching from the artist-in-residence. 

The thing we’ve all been waiting for… Birds! There was definitely no shortage of birds during that camp, I was able to add over 30 species to my life list just from the six days that I was there. There were warblers, crossbills, gulls, owls, puffins, razorbills, terns, gannets, hawks, vireos, herons, loons, and so much more! There was no lack of excitement during this camp either, because there was always something cool going on! Such as presentations, banding demonstrations, recording birdsongs, bird walks, boat trips, the bird-of-the-day, and just the incredible amount of diversity! The ecosystem was so healthy, there were all sorts of things there. 

I’d love to go to this camp again, it’s honestly the best camp that I have ever gone to. I would recommend it to anyone that’s looking to learn more about birds, it’s a hands-on learning experience and it’s quite an adventure. It really is a once in a lifetime experience.

If you’d like to learn more about this camp, or any of the other programs available, the link is here.

Happy Birding!

Chondestes grammacus - Lark Sparrow

Sterna hirundo - Common Tern

Man, I love terns. Especially when they swoop down and hit people in the head.

This is the jumping spider that lives on my desk. It just caught a fruit fly.

Last winter I stared at the bird feeder for hours and took a bunch of pictures every time a bird showed up. I think this one might be my favorite.