BirdWatching USA – September-October 2019

birderatlarge BY PETE DUNNE

Hog Island Audubon Camp is
summer camp for adults, an
immersion in birds and birding in the
company of like-minded, soon-to-be
lifelong friends, in an idyllic and
iconic setting.
Opening its doors to a mostly
teacher clientele in 1936, this island
retreat has been a touchstone among
birders ever since. It offers a suite of
week-long courses, scheduled June
through September, taught by some of
birding and ornithology’s most
celebrated figures, your week at “Hog”
will not only be one of your most
cherished memories, but also it will
place you in a very exclusive club.
Yes, you’ll see Atlantic Puffin.
Yes, you’ll dine on lobster.

Yes, you will get to engage one on

one with the Wayne Petersens, Steve

Kresses, and Scott Weidensauls of the

world. At a birding festival, you can sit

in the audience and watch Scott weave

his magic, or you can go to Hog, sit at

the dinner table and say: “Hey Scott,

pass the potatoes, please.”

You may have to ask twice because

Scott is almost certainly discoursing

on his latest writing project or the fine

points of alcid identification. Atlantic

Puffins are not the only alcids in

Maine waters; Razorbills are almost

assured, and Black Guillemots

habitually cruise the quarter-mile-

wide inlet between the island and the

mainland. While you will see a variety

of birds, the focus at Hog is now as it

was nearly a century ago, on learning

about birds in a friendly, nurturing

environment at one of the planet’s

greatest outdoor classrooms.

Besides the people you’ll meet, what

I like most about Hog is the rich

sensory experience.

The nose-tickling brine smell of

cold, clear ocean water; the throaty

chug of the lobster boats heading out

before dawn (letting you know you still

have a few minutes to savor the warmth

beneath your blankets). While you

linger, you can enjoy a medley of bird

sounds rising with the dawn — the

fog-muff led grunt of eiders, the buzzy

incantation of Black-throated Green

Warbler, the hypersonic tirade of

Blackburnian Warbler, the scolding

whistle of the resident Osprey, the

irreverent chortle of ravens, and the

torrent of notes that is a Winter Wren’s

song. If not the birds, then the smell of

breakfast will ultimately drive you from

bed and into a new day of discovery.

The one thing you will mercifully

not hear is a smartphone. Depending

upon your carrier, reception on the

island is spotty, although Internet

service is available in the dining hall.

My favorite time at Hog is the hour

before breakfast, when I and other

early-rising campers cradle mugs of

Idyllic and iconic

At Hog Island Audubon Camp, you can learn, bird, and

indulge your senses

EXPERTISE: Naturalist and author Scott Weidensaul is an instructor at Hog Island.

My favorite time at

Hog is the hour before

breakfast, when I

and other early-rising

campers cradle mugs

of coffee and trade

anecdotes as we watch

treetop warblers come

down to the drip and

listen to the yodel of

Common Loons and

the keening cry of

Herring Gulls.

Jea

n^ H

all

12 BirdWatching • September/October 2019