Here is a collage I formed of the pictures of myself by my fellow interns at Monomoy, summer 2008.

Working inside one of the largest Common Tern colonies in the Atlantic brings lots of surprises. To say the least, the Common Terns, Sterna hirundo express their anger very artistically...all over your clothes.

Every day throughout the season, biologists and interns routinely check productivity plots inside the tern colony, inspecting the status of the eggs and chicks inside each of the 34 plots.

To the slight inconvenience of us biologists, the terns never get used to us and react to us as a general threat when we are in the colony. In a localized squawky swarm, terns constantly swoop down on us, either attempting to pierce us with their sharp beaks which can easily break skin, (hence the construction helmets) and menacingly defecating on us....alot.

Many of my fellow interns wore short sleeve shirts and shorts considering the hot weather, but with having a high heat tolerance, I normally wore a hoody for protection and easy keep up.

After a single work session in the colony and arriving back at camp, we bathe ourselves in hand sanitizer and baby wipes.

Oh yes, camping on an inhabited island (with no utilities whatsoever) meant no showering for 5 days straight. (You do get used to the smell). This is why it's always important to have seperate sets of clothing for working in the colony, working outside the colony, and for leisure time or sleeping.