The Azores, Portugal

Terceira, Graciosa, and Sao Miguel Islands, May 2017

In mid May, Phillip Townsend and Anne Via McCollough headed to the Azores with Grace and Matt Cormons to see first hand and to film where Roseate and Common Terns had been banded by Gull Islanders. We were met by Veronica Neves, an ornithologist in the Azores who has known Helen and the Great Gull Island Project since 1997.

We visited sites on and around the island of Terceira and then went on to Graciosa Island, where we spent the night on a small islet off the coast. Phillip and Anne went on to Sao Miguel island to explore, to look for more terns, and to capture on film even more of the natural beauty of the Azores.

Veronica was an amazing host and connected our Taking Flight Productions team with folks from the National Parks there. Veronica arranged to take us out by boat both on Terceira and on Graciosa. She took us to stunningly beautiful places and we ate incredibly fresh fish! We had a great time traveling with Grace, Matt and Veronica. The incredible collaboration of Helen Hays and the Gull Islanders with Veronica in the Azores really came into focus during our shoot in the Azores.

Quixabá in Ceará, Brazil, January 2017

On January 10th we arrived in Quixabá in Ceará, Brazil to film the Tern Festival. The Festival celebrates and promotes the protection of the terns through a collaborative effort of the local fishermen and their families; Helen Hays and the Great Gull Island Project; and the ecological NGO Aquasis.

In the past Helen Hays discovered fishermen in Quixabá were taking bands from terns to make jewelry. The bands used in the jewelry were closed, which suggested the bands were being removed forcibly from the legs. As a way of both educating about the importance of the terns and giving back to the people Quixabá, Helen partnered with Alberto Campos of Aquasis to found the Tern Festival. The centerpiece of the the event is a regatta of model boats designed like local fishing boats. The festival has been a tremendous hit with the village and has even drawn neighboring villages to Quixabá, and the regatta a very active and exciting competition among fishermen.

Aquasis organized this year’s festival with the people of Quixabá and we were fortunate to be in attendance with Helen and Joe as well as Gabriela Ramires, Onofre Montiero, and Jason Mobley from Aquasis. Also in attendance were Pedro Lima, who has worked with Helen to protect Terns along the Brazilian coast and Fabio Núñez, who works on an endangered species—the Grey-breasted Parakeet in Ceará. Both Pedro and Fabio have volunteered on Great Gull Island and their work has been greatly influenced by what they learned from Helen Hays.

San Clemente del Tuyú, Argentina, January 2017

In early January, the TFP team traveled to San Clemente del Tuyú, Argentina with Helen Hays and Joe DiCostanzo to film the terns in their non-breeding habitat at Punta Rasa. Amid the kite surfers and ATVs, the terns were hanging out in large numbers. While partnering with Sol Bizzozero of San Telmo Productions, we were lucky to capture the work of Argentine scientists on film.

Great Gull Island, June 2016

Our small team at Taking Flight Productions returned to Great Gull Island to document the next important stage of this conservation effort. Thousands of common and roseate terns—"The Swarm"—arrived on the island, from points south, in late April and early May. And now eggs are hatching every day as peak season shifts into high gear.

Morning and night, volunteers—young and old, from all over the country and even Argentina—trap and band the terns, and count eggs and chicks.

We spoke with ornithologists and volunteers about the ongoing efforts to help keep the populations growing and thriving. Although the seabirds are everywhere on Great Gull Island, their numbers here represents HALF of all the common and roseate terns in the hemisphere.

Great Gull Island, April 2016

We just spent three days filming on Great Gull Island with the incomparable and indefatigable Helen Hays. Volunteers are scrambling to get ready for the first Common and Roseate Terns to arrive for the summer nesting season.

We will return in June when thousands of terns will have firmly taken over this small island. The efforts here - over the past 48 years - to save these species is an incredible story of dedication, patience and teamwork - all done on a shoestring budget - all spearheaded by Helen Hays - one of the most joyful, tireless and present conductors we have ever met.

Every April, Hays leaves behind her small office in New York's American Museum of Natural History, packs up her bags and heads to Great Gull Island. It is her home for six months of the year, despite no running water or electricity.

This was a great first trip for our production team - on what will be a three year journey - to share the story of Helen Hays and her Herculean conservation efforts on this tiny little island.

More updates as the story unfolds.

New York City, April 2016

On a beautiful spring day, we sat down to talk with Helen Hays and Joe DiCostanzo in Margaret Mead Park before heading out to a Great Gull Island.