The Hardy III - New Harbor, Maine
When it’s was too hot and humid to stand in the blazing sun for activities such as the Bath Heritage Days festivities on Saturday afternoon, we looked for a way to cool off and still be able to enjoy the great outdoors.
Sharon and I booked a trip on the Hardy III out of New Harbor, Maine for a Puffin cruise to Eastern Egg Rock. Eastern Egg Rock is an approximately 7 acre island located in the outer reaches of Muscongus Bay, about 7 miles east of New Harbor. The island is ringed with granite boulders that provide nesting habitat for Atlantic Puffins and Guillemots. It is also the home to nearly 4,000 pairs of nesting Terns, Laughing Gulls and Common Eiders.
The island is owned by the Maine Deptartment of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is managed by the National Audubon Society. The island is home to the Adopt-A-Puffins program.
Since 2000, breeding birds recorded on the island include Atlantic Puffins, Black Guillemots, Arctic, Common and Roseate Terns, Laughing Gulls, Common Eiders and Leach’s Storm-petrels.
Eastern Egg Rock
Puffins were wiped out in Maine waters during the 1800′s by a combination of hunters, feather collectors and gull predation. Before the restoration, the last nesting Puffin was in 1885. The wonderful conclusion to all of this is that the island is the world’s first restored seabird colony. In 1973, in an effort to restore the Atlantic Puffin population in Maine waters, 1,000 young Puffins from Newfoundland were translocated to Eastern Egg Rock in the hopes that when the birds left the island in late summer, they would return the following spring to nest. Decoys were used to make the island more inviting and in 1981, five pairs of Atlantic Puffins settled on the island to nest. As of 2008, 101 pairs are nesting on the island.
Tern restoration was also implemented and with the help of gull management and decoys, Terns began nesting in 1980. Today, the colony has more than 1,350 pairs. Included in this count are 150 pairs of endangered Roseate Terns, more than half of the Gulf of Maine population.
We departed New Harbor at 4:45 p.m. for the trip out to the island, and it was a choppy ride, but the breezes coming off the cooler Atlantic waters made it worthwhile. Air temperatures on the water were in the upper 60′s, while inland, it was a very warm 83° F. The one-and-a-half hour trip included a half hour ride out to the island, slowly circling the island for half an hour and the half hour return trip. For those interested in the Puffin Cruise, contact Hardy Boat Cruises out of New Harbor, Maine.
Audubon naturalist showing posters of birds nesting on Eastern Egg Rock
Audubon naturalists tell the history of the island and the restoration efforts to bring the seabird colony back into existence. The naturalists are also very good at pointing out sightings of seabirds using the clock system. Over the loud speaker, you hear them say, “Roseate Tern at 11 o’clock!” and so on.
We wished for a little smoother ride, but still captured some great photos. For those who haven’t experienced trying to take photos on a rocking 60′ boat, it’s akin to trying to photograph a bird while jumping on a trampoline! Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed every minute of the trip, including one particular wave that caused several of us to go sprawling across the upper deck of the boat.
As we circled the island, we recorded Atlantic Puffins, Common, Arctic and Roseate Terns, Black Guillemots, Laughing Gulls and Common Eiders. On the way out, I spotted a whale spouting water from its blow hole approximately 300 yards off the port side of the boat.
All in all, we were happy with the trip. Out of over 450 photos taken, around one hundred were usable. Believe me folks, it’s not easy photographing a football sized Puffin while a boat is rocking and rolling. We will take the cruise in the future, but check on wave heights before we book the trip.
Enjoy the photos! Simply click a thumbnail to view the full-sized view.
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- Atlantic Puffins
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- Atlantic Puffin
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- Atlantic Puffin
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- Atlantic Puffin
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- Atlantic Puffin in flight
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- Atlantic Puffin in flight
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- Atlantic Puffin in flight
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- Research buildings on Eastern Egg Rock
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- Blind on Eastern Egg Rock
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- Researcher on Eastern Egg Rock
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- Numbered Puffin nesting site
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- Eastern Egg Rock
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- The Hardy III – New Harbor, Maine
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- Audubon naturalist showing posters of birds nesting on Eastern Egg Rock
Happy birding!
{ 12 comments }
John I really enjoyed your account of the trip to puffin island. What a heartening story of reintroductions of birds wiped out by man previously. I think your photos are really good and I can imagine trying to take pictures on a rocking boat so well done. It's along time since i was in Maine, on the way to the West Indies for a winter holiday but I remeber the 12ft snow at Maine Airport!
The most adorable birds. For some reason I don't think I've ever seen one flying before. I follow a whale watch company on facebook and they just saw a Puffin out past the Isles of Shoals the other day. Pretty cool!
Glad you had a good trip. I like the trampoline reference. LOL! Only 101 pairs nesting .. that doesn't seem like many, but at least they have been brought back to the area. Sounds like the northeast coast is really trying to help the Turn population as well.
The puffins are definitely birds that are on my list – they are so cool! Thanks for sharing.
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That's a great story about the re-introduction of the birds to that site. You did well with the photos when the boat was rocking as much as that. The photos of the birds in flight are especially good.
Fantastic post on the trip to Eastern Egg Rock John! I love hearing the stories of successful bird conservation efforts. We are much in debt to groups like the National Audubon and BirdLife International.
Your description of the boat trip had me feeling a bit woozy but you got some incredible shots of the Puffins! The in-flight shots are great. I must say that the blind sure doesn't look very comfortable though.
I hope to see an Atlantic Puffin one day and I'm glad that there are still some left to observe. Thanks for all the great information!
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I’ve seen puffins in Alaska, but not in Maine. After seeing your photos I’m wishing I could be on the next plane east!
Hi John,
What a great adventure you got there and so many nice pictures of the cutest bird ever. I kind of hope I'll get pictures of it this summer
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What great photos of such irresistible little birds. I'm hoping for a puffin trip sometime in the not-too-distant future.
I really like the number 4 and 5 photos of the puffins in flight. Such an interesting looking bird. I used to visit Maine quite a bit but more so in Aroostook County. I've never tried a boat ride of that type but would love to some day.
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I saw puffins when I visited Iceland about 10 years ago. They are so nice.
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I'm heartened to hear of efforts to restore some of the bird life (particularly as I live close to the spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which is tearing my heart to shreds.) Love the photos of the puffins. Such wonderful birds!
What wonderful photos of such amazing birds! I have yet to see one myself. Are you allowed to get off on the island? This looks like such an amazing place! How nice to know that we can undo some of the damage done to the earth by mankind. Sounds like this is one bird restoration success story.
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