Hello everyone! My name is Elizabeth (Liz), one of the seabird technicians stationed on Metinic Island this summer. I’m originally from the Philadelphia area, though I’m currently attending the University of Maine in Orono, pursuing my bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology. Birds are my passion! So I’m very excited (and very grateful!) to be working here on Metinic this summer. I’m also an amateur photographer, so you can expect plenty of photos from my blog posts.
We arrived on the island on May 8th amidst clouds and fog. The next morning we recorded about 150 terns flying above the north end, although since then their numbers seem to be closer to 250. They’re hanging around the island longer into the day, and some are even starting to land briefly. And just this morning we had our first confirmed Arctic tern sighting! Other seabirds we’ve seen so far include common eiders, black guillemots, and even a flock of harlequin ducks.
During the first few days we have been familiarizing ourselves with the island, as well as the sheep that inhabit it. Yesterday we put up the fence to hopefully keep them out from where the terns like to nest, but already we’ve seen a few that have slipped by us. We’ll surely be wrangling them next week!
Right now we spend our nights by the wood stove, usually reading a book and listening to the vocalization of the Leach’s storm petrels that have made their home underneath our cabin! They delight us every time. Luckily the past few nights have also been very clear, so the stargazing has been nothing short of magnificent.
So far our time on this island has been simply magical. There is nowhere else I would have rather been to experience last night’s solar storm. Although we get up quite early each morning (early for me, anyway), I stayed up late in hopes of capturing the aurora borealis – and boy did it pay off. I had never seen the northern lights before, and what a first it was! Pink, purple, and green hues filled the sky underneath hundreds of stars. I’m no astrophotographer, so photographing them was difficult, but in the end I got a few pictures that I feel encapsulate the experience. I hope there will be another chance to see them this summer, because it was truly life-changing!
That’s all for now. We’ve got a busy week ahead preparing for the terns! I’d like to thank the Friends of Maine Coastal Island NWR for our rockin’ vests – mine has kept me very happy and warm – and specifically Carol, for that amazing homemade granola (it’s been a part of my breakfast almost every day).
Until next time!
-Liz