From Pacific to Prairie and Pole to Pole

Clare’19 and Kay’18 with a black guillemot chick, photo by Mauricio Handler

Two wonderful alums found themselves studying seabirds together on Matinicus Rock as part of the Puffin Project in the Gulf of Maine. The Puffins called them back for a second season; Kay was a Puffineer last summer and Clare was one the summer before last.

Sagehens Clare’19 and Kay’18 on Matinicus Rock, ME, photo by Mauricio Handler

Kristina’12 was a Puffineer several years ago– it was wonderful to see her again at the 46th annual Pacific Seabird Group meeting last February.

Kristina’12, Prof. K. and Clare’19 at the PSG meeting in Kauai.

In the picture above we are standing in front Clare’s poster on Cassin’s auklet diving behavior. These two Sagehens had never met before but they have lived parallel lives! Both were Puffineers on Seal Island, both were summer interns on the Farallon Islands, both wrote their senior theses on Cassin’s auklet diving behavior, and both presented their results at PSG (Kristina on Oahu (2012) and Clare on Kauai (2019)). Kristina is now doing predator control work in seabird colonies on Kauai but her time with the Puffins obviously had a big impact…

Puffin Kristina’12 and Prof. K. at PSG in Kauai.