Maine

Summer Camp on Hog Island | Scenes from Maine

For more than 80 years, the Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine has been a beacon for nature explorers of all ages.

By Heather Marcus

Mar 30 2018

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An aerial view of the island with the expanse of Muscongus Bay in the distance.

Photo Credit : Mark Fleming

Each summer, 300 to 500 people of all ages flock to a small island in Maine’s Muscongus Bay to soak up nature — hiking, exploring tide pools, catching a glimpse of wildlife — as attendees of the Hog Island Audubon Camp. Founded in 1936 by the National Audubon Society, the camp offers birding and environmental education programs for adults, teens, families, and educators, who get to actually live on the island during each six-day, five-night session.

Yankee senior photographer Mark Fleming recently paid a visit to Hog Island, arriving during one of the popular “Family Camp” sessions. “More than anything, it was great to see and experience — even vicariously — the incredible fun that kids can have when exposed to nature,” he says. “It seemed to me that the Audubon Society has fostered in this unique spot a family atmosphere among guests and staff alike.”

Below, you’ll find some favorite photographs from his island trip. To see the full photo essay, or to learn more about the camp, see “A Sense of Wonder,” in the May/June 2018 issueof Yankee. 

Hog Island Audubon Camp’s main offices, as seen from the mainland in Bremen, Maine.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
One of the Hog Island camp’s skiffs.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
One of Audubon’s osprey cams, which broadcast live video of several inhabited nests on and around Hog Island.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Eric Snyder, facilities manager, ferries campers on an outing to nearby Harbor Island.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Harbor Island’s sole private home, barely visible through the thick fog.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
A camper prepares to look for birds during an outing aboard the lobster boat Snowgoose III.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
A lobster boat passes by an early-morning photography class on Hog Island.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Sunlight dapples a mass of rockweed along the island’s shore.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
The Kerry Lynne out of Bremen hauls a trap near Hog Island.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
An aerial view of the island with the expanse of Muscongus Bay in the distance.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming

SEE MORE:
5 Maine Islands to Visit This Summer
Life at Sea | Photographs by Joel Woods
Scenes from Maine | Featured Photographer Greta Rybus