Field Trips

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS 

This year we’re excited to once again offer Scenes from the Field – virtual field trips that take you on location around the world! We’ll visit seabird colonies and birding hotspots across nine different tours, featuring footage from the field and a live Q&A with the hosts. See below to learn more about the trips we have planned! All times are in Pacific Standard Time. 

 

The Cahow Experience - Mark Rauzon

Monday, February 23, 12:00-12:30

 

An update on the Bermuda Petrel recovery, from only 17 pairs in the 1960s, the species has rebounded to 165 pairs today, thanks to decades of extraordinary work, including translocations, telemetry studies, and hands-on care provided by a handful of deeply dedicated individuals. When we visited Nonsuch Island in November 2025, we met the people who have driven this success and saw firsthand how the colony is being carefully supported to grow as rapidly and sustainably as possible.

 

Where Wings Meet Waves - Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park

Monday, February 23, 12:30-13:00

 

Soaring above the remote reefs of Tubbataha, an extraordinary world unfolds—one that flaps, dives, soars, and sings. This short film invites you to meet the seabirds of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park: from the graceful terns and powerful boobies to the agile noddies nesting on rugged islets. Tubbataha isn’t just a diver’s paradise—it’s also the most important seabird sanctuary in the Philippines, home to rare and endangered birds found nowhere else in the country. With stunning footage and stories from the field, you’ll discover how these feathered travelers are more than just beautiful—they're messengers of ocean health and guardians of a thriving reef. Come along for an adventure where wings meet waves, and find out why saving seabirds means saving so much more.

 

Double-crested Cormorants at Tommy Thompson Park: A sci-art collaboration - Gail Fraser & Cole Swanson, York University

Wednesday, February 25, 12:00-12:30

Toronto’s Tommy Thompson Park is a human-constructed landform sticking out 5 km into Lake Ontario. Toronto – Canada’s most populous city – is also home to one of the largest colonies of Double-crested Cormorants. Long-term monitoring of nest success of the ground-nesting colony started in 2008. In 2017, Fraser (biologist) & Swanson (multispecies scholar & artist) started an interdisciplinary collaboration centered on cormorants. In this virtual field trip, you will travel to Peninsula B, where a multi-layered shanty – our blind – provides compelling views of the colony. The art – science collaboration has focused on cormorants’ interest in trash and employs camera traps for both generating data and artistic creation.

 

Mad River Decoy - Susan Schubel, Audubon

Wednesday, February 25, 12:30-13:00

 

Tour the (in)famous shop where social attraction decoys are currently produced!  Audubon is carrying on the tradition of producing roto-molded decoys made of recycled plastic, which was developed by Mad River Decoy in Vermont.  They are lightweight, floatable, tossable, and durable. Audubon’s Seabird Institute (Project Puffin) is where the use of decoys for conservation, rather than hunting, got its start.  Creating a faux colony of decoys and broadcast bird sound showed seabirds that Eastern Egg Rock was indeed a good, safe place to nest.  This idea of tools for communication, rather than trickery, have flown from this small island in Maine to the World!  And now the actual tools are being sent from Maine to exciting conservation projects around the globe.

                                                                               

 

Uncharted Skies: Mapping the hidden journeys of phalaropes - Ryan Carle, Oikonos

Thursday, February 26, 12:00-12:30

Saline lakes around the world are under growing threat — and the wildlife that depends on them is, too. In this film, scientists Ryan Carle and Nora Livingston embark on a challenging, inspiring quest to better understand these fragile ecosystems. Their mission: to tag phalaropes, tiny, fast-moving migratory birds that have never been tagged before. By tracking their epic migrations, we gain not only the knowledge needed to better protect these birds, but also a deeper understanding of the health of the saline lakes they call home.

 

Decoding Seabird Diets: A Guide to Fecal DNA Metabarcoding - Gemma Clucas, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Friday, February 27, 11:30-12:00

In this short video, I’ll take you through the steps needed to monitor seabird diets using fecal DNA metabarcoding. I’ll cover crucial considerations for before you head into the field and give tips and tricks that I’ve learnt over the years for how to collect samples from different species of seabirds. I’ll then walk you through the lab side of things, including DNA extractions, choice of PCR primers, and options for sequencing. Finally, I’ll point you to some bioinformatic resources to help you analyze your data.

Discovering Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll) - Kure Atoll Conservancy

Friday, February 27, 12:30-13:00

 

At the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian archipelago, more than 1,300 miles from Honolulu, lies Kure Atoll. Kure Atoll, or Hōlanikū, is the northernmost coral atoll in the world and is a part of Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary. Hōlanikū provides critical habitat for 18 breeding seabird species, migrating shorebirds, the critically endangered Laysan Duck, and more than 100 resident Hawaiian Monk Seals. The atoll has historically faced challenges from marine debris pollution and several invasive species, including Polynesian Rats, Big-headed Ants, and Verbesina Encelioides, though significant progress has been made. Join us on a virtual field trip to this ecologically and culturally significant place, as we discuss our strategies and accomplishments in seabird conservation. This video is presented by representatives from Kure Atoll Conservancy in partnership with the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife.