United States | Coastal Birding, Puffins, and Conservation at Hog Island Audubon Camp

About this trip

Hog Island Audubon Camp is an ideal setting for exploring nature, birding, and conservation. With its rich history and ongoing studies, this small island provides a gateway to learning about birds and the natural world. Join Holbrook Travel, Audubon, and fellow birders for a special spring experience in MidCoast Maine. Birding highlights will be migrants heading to breeding grounds and nesting species on nearby islands. Our program includes a day trip by boat to Monhegan Island—a migratory hotspot, vibrant artists’ colony, and picturesque island village. Another day we explore Muscongus Bay and Eastern Egg Rock Island, famous for its nesting Atlantic Puffins and several species of terns. Walks on the mainland take us to a variety of habitats and a great assortment of birds in their most brilliant breeding plumage.

Highlights

• Cruise Muscongus Bay looking for wildlife and sea birds including Black Guillemots, scoters, and others.
• Look for nesting Atlantic Puffins and learn about the history of their recovery on Eastern Egg Rock Island, also home to Laughing Gulls, eiders, and nesting terns.
• Enjoy the spectacular scenery on an excursion to iconic Monhegan Island as we search for songbirds on several short trails.
• Explore habitats on the mainland with excursions to Great Salt Bay and Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, two birding hotspots.
• Take part in a series of talks on migration studies, island history, and conservation challenges faced by birds in Maine and all around the world.
• Attend talks and workhops on a variety of topics, such as seabird conservation, avian migration, tips to improve birding and photography skills, and more!

Meet your leaders

Eric Snyder

In his 15+ years working at Hog Island, Eric has had the pleasure of sharing his deep enthusiasm and knowledge of the Maine ecosystem with thousands of program participants. Since earning a BA in Geology and minors in Biology and Geography from Vassar College, Eric has traveled extensively, including surveying shorebirds around the Bahamas, environmental audio collection throughout Southeast Asia, and geologic research across the Pacific. Eric has lived as a resident researcher on most of the Seabird Islands managed by Audubon’s Seabird Restoration Program. On Hog Island, Eric manages operation of the facilities and infrastructure, is resident boat captain, and instructs numerous classes including geology, island ecology, astronomy, and natural history. As co-director of the Saving Seabirds session, Eric hopes to share a unique and interconnected perspective of Maine Coast ecosystems, while working hard to complete meaningful projects in support of our seabirds and their habitats.

Eva Lark, Hog Island Instructor

Eva Lark has an MS degree in Recreation & Parks Management from Frostburg State University and a BS degree in Environmental Science from Lander University. She works year-round for Hog Island and manages the various social media channels, marketing, and camp registration, in addition to scholarships, contracts, and rentals. She is now the director of both the Costa Rica Teen Camp and the Mountains to Sea Birding for Teens session. She has been a birder for over a decade and credits the winter warblers of Florida as being her spark birds. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her wife and two rescue dogs. She particularly enjoys birding competitions with friends and is an avid eBirder and Fantasy Birder.

Mark Garland

Mark Garland is a naturalist with extensive experience in birding and nature tourism, having led more than 200 tours to various parts of the world and working for 28 years as the Travel Program Coordinator for the Audubon Naturalist Society.  He guides and teaches annually at the Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine, for the Road Scholar Birding Programs in Cape May, and at Birding Festivals in Cape May and in West Virginia.  He writes the “Birders Question Mark” column for BWD (Bird Watcher's Digest) magazine.

Debbie Jordan

Debbie has been part of the Holbrook Travel team for over 28 years, and in her roles as Holbrook Ambassador and Specialty Travel Consultant, Debbie has planned and developed hundreds of group birding and natural history programs over the years. Debbie’s passion for travel and nature have led her to visit all 50 U.S. states and more than 40 countries around the world. She’s passionate about conservation and spends her free time volunteering in the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge near her home in Florida.