Atlantic Puffins

Adult puffins come ashore to breed in late April, and begin returning to the sea in August. Some linger into September, but the fruitful season for visitation is only about a dozen weeks long. Once they leave their islands, puffins disperse across the ocean and are seldom seen, even from boats. Puffins are not often seen from the mainland.

Eastern Egg Rock is an 11-acre island located six miles from New Harbor. Common, Arctic, and Roseate Tern colonies are also established on the island and it is one of the most reliable places to see Roseate Terns in Maine. The island is visited every day during puffin season by The Hardy Boat, which is docked at New Harbor. See www.hardyboat.com or call 1-800-2-puffin. Cap’n Fish circles the island four times a week from Boothbay Harbor. See www.mainewhales.com or call 800-633-0860. The Monhegan Boat Line in Port Clyde visits the island five times a week during the day and four evenings a week during the puffin season, mid-June through August. See www.monheganboat.com/puffin.html or call 207-372-8848.

Matinicus Rock is larger and more distant than Eastern Egg Rock. It also has a population of Razorbills and may host Great Cormorants in summer. There are no regularly scheduled commercial trips. Maine Audubon provides occasional tours.  Visit www.maineaudubon.org or call 207-781-2330 for updated information. Charter trips are available from Matinicus Excursions. See www.matinicusexcursions.com or call 207-691-9030.

Seal Island is three times the size of Matinicus Rock. It lies 22 miles off the mainland. Besides the abundant puffins, it is home to a large number of Razorbills, and supports a few breeding pairs of Great Cormorants. Black Guillemots are abundant on the way to the island, and the trip passes through waters that are good for pelagic species. Captain Bill Baker of Old Quarry Adventures makes regular trips to the colony beginning in May, and additional visits are available by charter. Call 207-367-8977.

Petit Manan Island is a 16-acre island covered in birds. It supports a large population of Laughing Gulls and Common Terns, almost as many Arctic Terns, and several dozen pairs of Roseate Terns. Many pairs of Razorbills visit the island, and actual nesting began in 2007. Leach’s Storm-petrels, Black Guillemots, and Common Eiders also nest on the island. Bar Harbor Whale Watch makes daily morning trips to the island before heading out to the whaling grounds. The large, stable boat is great for people who suffer from seasickness. Call 207-288-2386. Robertson Sea Tours also visits the island on board the Mairi Leigh from its headquarters in Milbridge. The shallow draft of the boat allows it to get in closer to shore than the larger boat from Bar Harbor. Email: info@robertsonseatours.com or call 207-483-6110.

Machias Seal Island is the granddaddy of puffin islands. Huge numbers of Atlantic Puffins populate the 20-acre island, accompanied by plenty of Razorbills and Common Murres. Large colonies of Common and Arctic Terns also nest here, though their nesting success in recent years has been diminished by gull predation. Captain Andy Patterson operates Bold Coast Charters from Cutler and visits the island daily. Call 207-259-4484. The Wilcox family has provided daily trips from Grand Manan since 1969. See Seawatch Tours or call 877-662-8552.