Inside Vogue’s Grand Birdwatching Expedition

A few months ago the Vogue crew headed to Bar Harbor, Maine with a single goal: to capture models in the season’s most stylish yet functional apparel while spotting local birds. The shoot featured models Ana Beatriz Cortes, Betsy Gaghan and Sunday Rose, who wore designs by Phoebe Philo, Loewe, Michael Kors and others. They were joined by local ornithologist Michael Good, who arrived in his own clothing.

“When the email about participating in this shoot popped into my inbox, I thought to myself, what an unusual opportunity,” Good told Vogue.

Good first became fascinated by birds at age ten, though his passion deepened in college. He now manages the Three Pines Bird Sanctuary and leads bird‑watching tours throughout the region. “I’m always thinking about lighting because I photograph birds,” he explained. “So I was excited to see how it worked on a magazine shoot.”

During the days spent trekking through Acadia National Park the team logged numerous “lifers,” a term used for a first‑time sighting of a species in the wild. Good kept an eBird checklist of everything heard and seen, which ranged from geese and gulls to several members of the Ardeidae family, including herons and egrets that threatened to outshine the models with their long legs.

“This was my first time birding and I loved it,” Sunday Rose said of the experience. By the end of the shoot she had become adept at spotting wildlife through Good’s monocular, a single‑tube device used with one eye. “My favorite part was seeing the different birds during the hike and learning about the post‑mating season,” she added.

One of the most memorable sightings was a merlin that Good and Gaghan observed together. “It was so fun to watch her reaction,” the ornithologist recalled. “There was just this very cool little raptor happening to fly by and we caught it.”

Good also took a few photographs of his own while on set, noting a seasonal shift among the birds. “When we were out, they were just starting to change to their fall plumage, shedding the bright spring and summer wardrobe for their winter fashion,” he observed. “Birds really have their own fashion by seasons, too.”