# Field Work: Islands [EcoEvoDevo Lab](https://hackmd.io/@EcoEvoDevoLab/AngeliniLab) ![](https://i.imgur.com/yqrJaYI.jpg) > The Docks at Allen Island :::danger Field work carries inherent risks. Prepare by carefully planning your activities. Always keep your research supervisors informed about your location and travel plans! ::: ## Travel to Allen Island Contact Whitney King to arrange transport by boat from Port Clyde to [Allen Island](https://www.colby.edu/allenisland/). The *Other World* is an open deck converted lobster boat, making daily runs between Port Clyde and Allen and Benner Islands. ([Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Allen+Island/@43.8670793,-69.3498747,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4cadb048d19b4a5b:0x3410b93a0f1d5651!8m2!3d43.8648555!4d-69.3149606).) It typically leaves Port Clyde at 7:00 am, typically making the return trip at 4pm in the afternoon. The [drive time](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Mayflower+Hill+Drive,+Waterville,+ME+04901,+USA/Port+Clyde+Harbor,+St+George,+ME+04860/@44.2397056,-69.752581,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x4cb1e45c295961e7:0x545eaeaf697b771a!2m2!1d-69.6517898!2d44.5558349!1m5!1m1!1s0x4cadb7272efe5b2b:0xb2cb127a178fd1ce!2m2!1d-69.2619577!2d43.9232771!3e0) between Port Clyde from Colby is about 1 hour 45 minutes. Allow 2 hours for stops for coffee or fast-food breakfast. ## What students should bring Plan for a full and early day. We will typically leave campus at 5:00 am. While we’re on the island, we’ll be hiking outdoors most of the time, totaling about 6 miles. The boat trip will also be exposed to sun and potentially rough seas. Plan accordingly. As a guide, there are some suggestions below. Dress for potentially changeable weather. Long pants are a good idea, because of the potential for ticks and biting flies. Sturdy, comfortable shoes, like hiking boots or good sneakers are important. In wet weather, we may borrow muck boots from the field biology store room in Olin. The terrain can be muddy and boggy if there have been recent rains. An extra pair of socks is always a good idea! We also have quiet time during the drive or in the afternoon before getting the boat back. Bring anything you’d like to read / do / listen to during these times. Be sure to bring any medication you might need -- including anything for motion sickness if it looks like the seas might be up. Depending on events at Allen Island, lunch may be provided. During most visits however, it is a good idea to bring a lunch. ## Supply and equipment list ### Personal stuff - A light backpack for carrying collecting gear and any personal items - Good hiking boots or muck boots, depending on [weather](https://www.wunderground.com/weather/us/me/port-clyde) - Extra socks - Watch (or cell phone with clock) - Water bottles - Sunscreen and/or hat - Sunglasses - Laptop (optional -- risky in bad weather) - Rain jacket (If rain is likely, bee hunting is unlikely to be productive) - Snacks! - A bathing suit (while we spend most of our time working, it's occasionally possible to swim from the beach at the north end of Allen Island) ### Research materials - All-weather field notebooks and sharpie - dSLR camera, e.g. Canon EOS 7D or Nikon D40 - Flash, e.g. YN560III or ring flash - Charged batteries: camera-specific batteries for the camera body and rechargable AA for flash, etc. - Battery chargers (for camera bodies and rechargeable AA's) - Insect net(s) - Deep Petri dishes (new-ish ones without too many scratches) - Vials (large, many) - Metric ruler(s) - Lab tape - Magnifying hand lens - *Bombus* identification guides (e.g. [our guide](https://bugsinourbackyard.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Bombus.ID_.220511.letter.pdf), and/or [Williams et al. 2014](https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691152226/bumble-bees-of-north-america)) ### Optional / Suggested - Mosquito veil (the lab has some) ## Surveying bees on Allen Island Allen Island is less than 1 square mile in size. It is elongated North-to-South. And area with several buildings exists near the dock at the north end. A dirt road runs the length of the island, and hiking trails skirt the west and east coasts. ![](https://i.imgur.com/pyvUcPv.jpg) :::info Typically, most bees are found in the northern area of the island, by the garden and in the old sheep paddock to the northeast, or by the interior ponds. Most of the interior of the island is forested, where flowers and bees are less commonly seen. But depending on what plants are flowering, bees can be found anywhere on the island. ::: We typically begin the day by surveying the garden. Then we walk the road to the southern end of the island, surveying any flowers we find. From the sourthern tip, we typically return via the west coast trail. This side of the island has more open clearings and fields where bees are likely. After returning to the bunk house for lunch, we survey the garden again. Then we take the side road east to the cove with a view of the Dry Ledges. Return via the road, or via the hiking trail north along the eastern shore and surveying the northeast sheep paddock. Beginning in 2022 it is possible to visit Benner Island, which can be surveyed in about 2 hours. --- [EcoEvoDevo Lab](https://hackmd.io/@EcoEvoDevoLab/AngeliniLab)