Welcome to NH Audubon’s new Avian Biologist, Mickayla Johnston!
Mickayla has had a love of all things nature since a young age. Growing up in southern New Hampshire, she spent her childhood exploring the forests in her backyard with friends and has always been drawn to the magic of birds. This curiosity grew into a passion, beginning with her first role in the field as a conservation intern with the Harris Center for Conservation Education—from that point on, she has been devoted to making a difference for wildlife in New Hampshire through her work.
Prior to joining NH Audubon, she received her master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she studied the impacts of urbanization on Red-Winged Blackbirds, travelling around Massachusetts and Yucatán, Mexico for her research, banding birds and collecting morphological data; she shared the joy of birds with young nature-lovers as an outdoor school teacher, helping to develop nature-based lessons and inspiring children to explore the natural world; and worked as a conservation biologist on Massachusetts’ North Shore, monitoring and conserving shorebirds. Most recently, she helped lead and coordinate the revision of the New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan for New Hampshire Fish and Game.
As the new Avian Biologist, she is excited to succeed and learn from senior biologist, Chris Martin, as she oversees New Hampshire Audubon’s raptor conservation programs, including Peregrine Falcons and Northern Harriers. In addition, she looks forward to developing new conservation programs and sharing her passion for the natural world with communities in her home state.
In her free time, Mickayla loves to go hiking in the Whites with her husband, spend time with her niece and nephew, go thrifting, and watch birds.