Kate Sutherland

Kate was raised with the outdoors as a major part of life, but birds became her focus after high school when she enrolled in a Field Biology course at a local community college. Students learned field techniques while operating a bird banding station with 120 mist nets during spring and fall migration. Holding birds in her hands sparked a lifelong interest. The same program introduced her to fieldwork in Kenya, Ecuador, including the Galápagos, and South Africa, inspiring a career centered on birds and travel.

In 2000, Kate discovered seabirds on a pelagic trip from Hatteras, North Carolina. She moved there the following year and continues to lead offshore seabirding trips, helping others better understand the species that spend their lives at sea. In 2016, she returned to university and earned two degrees in Marine Biology focused on marine ornithology. She now spends part of each year in the Ross Sea studying Adélie penguins, collecting data for citizen science platforms and guiding aboard expedition vessels.

Although she spends some time on land, offshore remains her preferred habitat. Her career has included research aboard NOAA ships studying seabirds and beaked whales, work with Duke Marine Lab studying goose-beaked whales and guiding on expedition ships while contributing data to conservation projects. More often than not, Kate can be found on the bridge or out on deck with binoculars in hand, sharing wildlife sightings and her knowledge of seabirds with guests.