WE do islands. Fortunately Maine is blessed with plenty of them -between 4000 and 6200, depending on the tide and who is counting. We don't limit ourselves to Maine however. Members and alums of the Island Research Center have also worked on French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii, the Barren Islands of Alaska, and Machias Seal Island, Canada. Alums of the program have done or are doing graduate work on birds ranging from Florida Scrub Jays and  Wild Turkeys to Caspian and Arctic Terns. While at  COA student members of the  Island Research Center, directed by conservation biologist John Anderson,  have the opportunity not only to monitor populations of seabirds, but also to learn techniques for censusing wildlife, running an island research station, and applying GIS and GPS technologies to real world conservation projects.

Each summer a team of students spends June and July on Great Duck Island, working on studies of Herring and Black Backed Gulls, Guillemots, and Leach's Storm Petrels. Work at Great Duck is done in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and the State of Maine, co-owners of the bulk of the island.

Our "home away from home" is the Great Duck Island Light Station, now converted to the College's Alice Eno Research Station. The station has recently benefited from the College's Green Technology Initiative, converting to a more sustainable power grid, employing photovoltaics and a generator running bio-diesel.

Below: Photos taken during summer research seasons on Great Duck Island. 

Click here for information on the seabirds of Great Duck Island