Holly Hogan describes herself as a surf-and-turf avian biologist. More formally, she is a wildlife biologist with the government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

She says when she looks at the ocean, she sees possibility.

"This is what keeps you standing in the rain, staring out to sea, at apparent nothingness," Hogan said during a walk along Signal Hill Trail with CBC radio host Ted Blades for the podcast Tedwalks.

"You just never know what you might see.… It's that possibility that keeps me interested."

Hogan studies birds on land and at sea. Being on the water makes her quite introspective and emotional, she said.

"When you're alone with your thoughts and you're staring into the open ocean, you're vulnerable to a lot of emotional experiences that you wouldn't necessarily otherwise have day-to-day in a busy city," she said.

To listen to the full episode of Tedwalks with Holly Hogan, click here.

Listen to the entire Tedwalks series here at cbc.ca/onthego.