Atlantic Puffins
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| Machias Seal Island |
Atlantic Puffin |
Razorbills |
Common Murres |
There
are five Atlantic Puffin colonies off the Maine coast:
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. See
www.oldquarry.com or 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.
See
www.barharborwhales.com or 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. Two American
companies and one from Canada visit the island. The Norton Family of
Jonesport has offered tours since 1939. See
www.machiassealisland.com or
call 1-207-497-2560. Captain Andy Patterson operates
Bold Coast Charters
and visits the island daily. See
www.boldcoast.com or call 207-259-4484.
The Wilcox family has provided daily trips from Grand Manan since 1969.
See
www.seawatchtours.com or call 877-662-8552.

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