Internships

Holly Perdigao, a senior at Stonehill College studying Environmental Science and Biology and a native of Acushnet, Massachusetts, joined the NBS team as a conservation research intern this summer. Holly was drawn to the hands-on experience of monitoring nest boxes to complement her years of academic focus on conservation.

The Beta field in particular has offered Holly some amazing sights during her internship. “It’s been amazing to watch the baby birds grow over the last few weeks” She explained that because she is out in the fields every few days, she sees the full developmental cycle from newly laid eggs to fledglings ready to take flight.

Lydia Smith joined the Norman Bird Sanctuary in the spring of 2025 as a student intern part of her Environmental Education program at the University of Rhode Island. Originally from Moorestown, New Jersey, she graduated from Moorestown High School in 2024 and is now among the first cohort of students pursuing the university’s new Environmental Education degree under the guidance of Dr. Sara Sweetman.

At NBS, Lydia worked in the Curiosity Lab, a dynamic resource for families and community members to explore science and nature hands-on. She collaborated closely with both the staff and the groups that utilize the lab to design engaging educational experiences while focusing on creating an educational kit about pollination, timed to coincide with the Sanctuary’s wildflower fields in full bloom.

Lucien Rosenbloom joined the Norman Bird Sanctuary as a volunteer this Spring for our Nest Box Monitoring program, a chapter of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch project. Originally from Brooklyn, with roots in Vermont, Lucien now calls Newport his home. With a BA in Outdoor Leadership from Warren Wilson College and a professional background in outdoor education, he has always felt at ease on the trails and in wild places.

During his time at NBS, Lucien tracked the growth of several bird species, including Tree Swallows, from hatchlings to fledglings. He also recorded when nest building occurs, the number of eggs laid, how many of those eggs hatch, and how many hatchlings survive. The results not only contribute to broader studies conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology but offer valuable information on the health of our local habitats and ecosystems.

Siena Cohen is a student at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, where she is studying environmental science and English. Siena spent the summer of 2025 at the Norman Bird Sanctuary working in Rhode Island's largest pollinator meadow. What was once a field overrun by invasives is being transformed into a biodiverse meadow, and Siena helped monitor which pollinators are showing up as native plants like buckwheat take root.

To gather data, she piloted the use of pan traps - brightly colored bowls filled with soapy water placed among the vegetation - which reliably attracted a variety of insects, from bumblebees and overflies. She also used a transect survey, walking fixed paths and recording pollinators like butterflies, moths, and even birds that the traps didn't pick up.