Simon’s Rock Student Ke Coco Deng Spends Summer Working for Audubon Seabird Institute

By Emily Berge-Thielmann

Coco Deng

This summer, Simon’s Rock student Ke Coco Deng had the opportunity to work as a research assistant for Audubon Seabird Institute with Project Puffin.

“I lived in a tent on Stratton Island in Maine, a small island south of Portland. Our team of 5 researchers monitored breeding colonies of Common, Roseate, Least, and Arctic Terns — totaling more than 2,000 birds! — in addition to our heronry, neighboring cormorant colony, nesting black guillemots, and migratory shorebirds.” shares Deng on her work experience. “We sat in bird blinds for hours observing birds every day.”

What was the highlight for Deng? “My favorite part of the job was handling and banding the tern chicks and seeing their adorableness up close!”

All photos by Ke Coco Deng.