On a tiny island in Long Island Sound, an abandoned military outpost became home to one of North America’s most important seabird colonies. In 1969, ornithologist Helen Hays began spending roughly half of every year on Great Gull Island, living in former army buildings and working with volunteers to count, band and protect Common and Roseate Terns. More than five decades later, the island had become a major tern research and conservation site, with thousands of birds returning to breed each year.
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