Six Miles Out - A Gilly Story

The life of a Black Guillemot chick - - - For 10 weeks last summer, I had the opportunity to work as a seabird intern at Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML) in Maine. My primary responsibility was to conduct daily field work related to the Black Guillemots that nest there. But with my field sites in walking distance and with access to camera equipment for research, I couldn't help but wonder if it was possible to create a documentary-style video centered around a camera inside the nest. In early June, I experimented with cameras in different nests until I landed on BRCO13, which fit perfectly. For the rest of the summer, I made regular visits to the nest to change batteries and collect footage. I got to see the lives of these birds not just from a research lens, but a storytelling one too. It was a lot easier said than done, but almost a year later, I have my story. This was the first time I ever produced something like this. I'm hardly a filmmaker, but I learned quite a lot from shooting, editing, storyboarding, and voice recording on this project. I hope it can show others what working at Shoals is like and how interesting and important these seabirds are. Special thanks to my research mentors Liz Craig, Gemma Clucas, Rebecca Atkins, and Mike Sigler, who encouraged me to go after my creative ideas in addition to my research project. And especially to Liz, who provided GoPros, gamecams, SD cards, and a tripod that made this project possible. Special thanks to my entire SML intern cohort and the SML staff who became amazing friends to me and made my summer unforgettable. Finally, thanks to Shoals and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology who funded my entire summer experience. Music: "To Build a Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra #guillemot #seabirds #shoals #seabirds #ecology #ornithology