What happens when the growing marine economy meets efforts to protect threatened and endangered seabirds? Elizabeth Craig and her team are mapping the journeys of common and roseate terns (Sterna hirundo and Sterna dougallii) to ensure both conservation efforts and development can move forward together in the Gulf of Maine. Join us in the bird blind on this episode of Time and Tide as we uncover how seabird researchers are able to track the movements and feeding behaviors of terns in the Gulf of Maine, and why these movements matter to us. 

Act 1: Step onto White and Seavey Islands with Elizabeth Craig, Director of Seabird Science at Shoals Marine Laboratory, as she describes the threats faced by common and roseate terns in a changing Gulf of Maine, and why we as humans should care about the fate of these agile birds that spend their lives at sea. We dodge dive-bombing birds, and side-step freshly hatched chicks while discussing the importance of data-driven conservation efforts and her team’s latest Sea Grant-funded research. We also address hard-hitting questions such as: why do seabird researchers wear wide-brimmed hats? And what is seabird poop bingo?   

Act 2: We join Caitlin Panicker, an undergraduate student at Bowdoin College, in the bird blind to learn what it’s like to live on the Isles of Shoals for a summer, watching the same birds fly in and out of a nesting colony. Caitlin explains what a tern ‘neighborhood’ looks like and shares some advice for college students looking to gain field experience.  

Act 3: So, where does all of this information go, and how does it impact us non-birds? We sat down with Katy Bland, a Research and Engagement Manager working with Sea Grant and NERACOOS, to talk through the uses of Elizabeth’s tern research with us. Katy focuses on the interaction between coastal communities and offshore renewable energy development in the Gulf of Maine. Making her the perfect guest to help us understand how Liz’s seabird research can be used to inform decisions about how we use our ocean.

Guest Speakers:  

Dr. Elizabeth Craig, Director of Seabird Science, Shoals Marine Laboratory 
Affiliate Faculty, Department of Biological Sciences, UNH. 

Caitlin Panicker, undergraduate student intern currently attending Bowdoin College. 

Katy Bland, Research and Engagement Manager, NERACOSS, New Hampshire Sea Grant, Maine Sea Grant. 

Hosted by: Brian Yurasits, Science Communication Specialist, New Hampshire Sea Grant. 

Produced by: Brian Yurasits 

Further reading: 

Seabirds as Indicators of New Hampshire’s Fisheries 

The Science of Seabirds – Seacoast Science Center 

NERACOOS 

New Hampshire Sea Grant works to enhance our relationship with the coastal environment to sustain healthy and resilient ecosystems, economies, and communities through integrated research, extension, education, and communications efforts. Based at the University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Sea Grant is one of 34 programs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program, a state-federal partnership serving America’s coasts. Learn more by visiting: seagrant.unh.edu 

University of New Hampshire is an equal opportunity employer, learn more: https://extension.unh.edu/civil-rights-statement