Maine 2014 – Atlantic Puffins!

First things first, I want to thank Karen Miller for helping out while I was away, she did an awesome job and it is greatly appreciated.

So, Tricia and I spent the last two weeks in Maine and while we were there we were scheduled to go to see the Atlantic Puffins on Machias Seal Island. We had reservations for the trip that allowed us onto the island and into blinds for great views of the birds. Unfortunately, this trip was cancelled due to a small craft advisory. Undeterred, we went on two other puffin boating excursions – and BOTH were plagued with heavy fog. On August 1st, we took our first trip, which left from Bar Harbor and went out to the Atlantic Puffin colony at Petit Manan Island National Wildlife Refuge. We did get to see several puffins, but they were relatively distant and the fog was extremely thick. Actually, the fog was so dense that we could barely see the island! Photos were tough and the best birding of the trip came once we left the island and went out to the open seas for the whale watching portion of the outing. Once out of the fog, conditions improved for photos, but the water was pretty rough and the boat was rocking pretty severely the entire trip, which made it a challenge to focus on the birds. I felt like we did pretty well for the day with 15 species, including 3 life birds for me. Here is my list and photos:

WHALE AND PUFFIN WATCHING TOUR – FROM BAR HARBOR MAINE 8/1/14

 

Common Loon
Northern Fulmar (Life Bird)
Great Shearwater (Life Bird)
Wilson’s Storm Petrel
Northern Gannet
Double Crested Cormorant
Red Phalarope
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Common Tern
Arctic Tern (Life Bird)
Common Murre
Razorbill
Black Guillemot
Atlantic Puffin

 

We also did well with the whales, seeing several of both Humpback and Finback whales.

TRIP #2

PUFFIN WATCH FROM NEW HARBOR TO EASTERN EGG ROCK ISLAND, 8/4/14

Our second boating trip for puffins left from New Harbor and went out to Eastern Egg Rock Island. This is the southernmost nesting island for Atlantic Puffins. It was a gorgeous sunny day as we arrived and boarded the boat. As we waited for the departure, the weather began to change quickly, with a drop in the temperatures and a distant fog rolling in. By the time we reached Eastern Egg Rock, it was quite foggy, but not as foggy as when we were at Petit Manan Island NWR. Additionally, the boat was much smaller, which I believe allowed us to get much closer to the island and therefore the birds. I was much happier with my puffin photos, and I felt like we did pretty well again, with 12 species including 2 life birds for me. Here’s my list and photos:

Common Loon
Wilson’s Storm Petrel
Northern Gannet
Double Crested Cormorant
Parasitic Jaeger (Life Bird)
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Common Tern
Arctic Tern
Roseate Tern (Life Bird)
Black Guillemot
Atlantic Puffin