The thing I’ve missed most during lockdown has been living outside. In April I’d normally be living in a tent on the Poor Knights islands, spending most of the day and night out in the elements. I’ve missed the connection with the weather, seeing every sunrise and sunset, watching the star-filled sky spin overhead during the night. Watching the leaves start to turn and feeling a winter bite in the air, watching the light change and the evenings vanish into early darkness is a reminder that my field season has finished without me – and that we’ve lost a serious chunk of data for our seabird research and monitoring as a result. But we’re all safe. And now we’re even more determined to make the most of the next chance we get to do our research, get back out into the wilds and do the work that we love.