Once a week, I went to Gull Island, the historic black-legged kittiwake colony in Kachemak Bay, owned by the Seldovia Native Association. Our goal was to gauge how many kittiwakes were attempting to breed. I brought my camera, binoculars, field notebook, and friends along with me to Gull Island to count the number of kittiwakes and nests there. Since no one is allowed on the island, we had to count from the boat.

I also monitored kittiwake productivity, or their breeding success, from the docks in Homer harbor. On the docks, I watched the nests for a couple of hours a few days a week. Since I could get so close to the nests, I was able to collect data on egg laying, chick hatching, and fledging throughout the season. This was my favorite part since I got to watch kittiwakes build their nests, lay their eggs, and raise their chicks all summer long! The kittiwakes were relatively successful this breeding season.…