Quotes

Doing field research on birds like Black-throated Blue Warblers is not only important from a scientific perspective, it can also be a fun and rewarding experience. Below are quotes from students who have spent a summer (or more) at Hubbard Brook following the breeding activities of warblers, helping to collect the long-term data for Dr. Holmes and his colleagues.

"When I first went to Hubbard Brook I really had no clue what I was getting into. I had known that I liked outdoor research but this was a different experience where you became fully immersed with the location and study project. Day after day of working outside in the same area was quite rewarding because you got to become familiar with the forest and the birds around you. Not only did you get that experience but you also got to see how the critters and plants progressed through the summer months and they all changed. I appreciated the progression of everything within the forest the most because it gave you a feeling for how systems function and grow. After my time there I knew that I wanted to continue in some kind of outdoor research field. I currently work for the VT DEC in the Water Quality Division. I deal with aquatic invasive species and do research, eradication, and education on the issue. It was that initial research at Hubbard Brook that helped me get my current position and gave me the desire to continue on with environmental research." -Misha Cetner (2007 Field Crew)

"Have you ever heard the whisper song of the Black-throated Blue Warbler singing to his female while she builds their nest? I truly think it's the reason why I keep coming back; hear it one time and you'll be hooked too! Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest is an amazing place to learn and explore the world of science. If you open your senses and take in the world around you it's amazing the things you will see and begin to understand." -Anna Potter (2006-2009 Field Crews)

"The Hubbard Brook valley certainly is a special place but it’s difficult to say precisely what keeps me coming back here year after year to work with these birds. When I find myself waist-deep in hobblebush watching a female build a nest, I am observing an intricate spectacle of nature unfold before my eyes. It’s an experience unlike any other and at such times it’s hard to imagine anything else I would rather be doing." -Nicole Desnoyers (2007-2009 Field Crews)

"Hubbard Brook is, in many ways, an ideal place to conduct research." -Mason Cline (2005 - 2008 Field Crews)

"I have done fieldwork in many locations and Hubbard Brook certainly ranks among the best. The forest is incredible, with giant maple trees towering overhead and a seemingly endless series of streams snaking through the forest floor below. The sound of bird songs permeate the forest, and it was fun spending our days chasing down the song of the male Black-throated Blue Warbler or the chip note of his mate. But perhaps the most exciting part of Hubbard Brook - for me - was getting to know the birds and the field site that I had read so much about. The data gathered by Dr. Holmes and his colleagues over the past few decades have been highly influential in the field of population ecology, and form the basis for much of what we know about how migratory bird populations are limited and regulated in North America. Now, when I read scientific papers on the warbler population at Hubbard Brook, I have a much better appreciation for the context in which those data were collected." -Katie Langin (2007 Field Crew)