Postcards from the Field: Madeleine Doiron

Shell Conservation Intern Madeleine Doiron

Hello from New Brunswick!

I’m writing to you today from the Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Interpretive Centre on the upper Bay of Fundy. Fundy is well-known for having the highest tides in the world, but it’s also famous thanks to the millions of shorebirds that pass through here every summer.

Approximately 2.5 million Semipalmated Sandpipers touch down here to prepare for their trip south. These birds choose this location as a migratory stopover because they can fortify themselves with corophium, a tiny shrimp that is very rich in energy and found only in the mudflats of the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine. I can hardly wait until mid-August to see thousands of them in flight.

Sandpipers at Johnson’s Mills

Right now, I’m busy working to get the Interpretive Centre ready for the summer season, when the other interpreters and I will teach visitors about the ecological significance of the local mudflats and the species they support. We’ll also be gathering data about the Semipalmated Sandpipers themselves, as well as other bird and plant species found in the area.

I’m from New Brunswick and I’ve always been interested in nature conservation. Since completing my Bachelor’s in biology at the University of Moncton and Master’s in biology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, I’m very happy to be back in the Maritimes and to have the opportunity to work in conservation in my own corner of the world. I consider myself very lucky be able to work with an organization like NCC in the field that is my passion. I hope to continue on this path in the years to come!

See you soon!
Madeleine Doiron

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