Atlantic Puffins at Eastern Egg Rock, Maine

Do all bird photographers dream of seeing Atlantic Puffins? It is possible. These captivating black and white seabirds with stunning, colorful beaks spend most of their lives on the open ocean. But in the summer months, Atlantic Puffins come ashore to nest in burrows on rocky islands along the North Atlantic coast. Eastern Egg Rock, a 7-acre island just 6 miles from the mainland in outer Muscongus Bay, Maine, is an accessible place to see and photograph a breeding colony. Once you learn about how this colony was re-established, being able to see this colony becomes even more impactful.

By 1900, the Atlantic Puffin was completed eradicated from Eastern Egg Rock. Due to a combination of egging, hunting the birds for meat and feathers, and displacement from gull populations, the colony had been exterminated. But in the in the late 1960s, Stephen Kress, just 23 years old, of the Audubon Society, read about Eastern Egg Rock and how the Atlantic Puffins had once breed on the rocks of the island. Kress was saddened and inspired by this history and pondered if there was a way to bring the Puffins back to Eastern Egg Rock.

Re-establishing an Atlantic Puffin colony was no easy feat. Puffins come back to the place where they were hatched each year to mate and lay one single egg in an underground burrow. Kress wondered if Puffins chicks were brought back to Eastern Egg Rock, would they return as adults to breed? He began to test his plan in 1973 by relocating chicks from Newfoundland’s Great Island and raising them as their parents would have done (check out this article to read about the methods in detail: Smithsonian article). For four years, Kress and his team tried this method, but once the Puffins had fledged and returned to the ocean, not a single one return to Eastern Egg Rock to breed. Undeterred, the team tested a method used by Icelandic hunters to attract the birds by placing decoys - wooden carvings of birds - on the island. In 1977, the first Puffin landed on the island, but it took four more years for the birds to start nesting on the island. For two decades only 15 pairs nested on the island; today the colony numbers 150 pairs. Check out Kress’s Book for a complete history of the Puffin Project: Puffin Project by Stephen Kress.

Atlantic Puffin

Getting there: Although Eastern Egg Rock is not open to the public during seabird breeding season (April 1-August 31), several cruises– partnered with Audubon’s Seabird Institute - make day trips to the island and provide an educational and accessible way to see and photograph Puffins from the dock of the boat. We took Cap'n Fish's 2.5 hour Audubon Puffin and Scenic Cruise from Boothbay Harbor and it was fantastic.

What you will see: The cruise passes by three lighthouses and provides a beautiful view of Maine’s rocky coast. As the cruise nears Eastern Egg Rock, you will likely see Puffins on the rocks, flying, and in the water. We were fortunate to see many, many Puffins, along with Black Guillemots and Razorbills. You may see other species of birds as well: according to Audubon, Arctic, Common and Roseate Terns, Laughing Gulls, Atlantic Puffins, Black Guillemots, Leach's Storm-petrels and Common Eiders all breed on Eastern Egg Rock. Razorbills and Manx Shearwater are often seen or heard at the island.

Atlantic Puffin

Bird Photography: Because you will be taking your photos from a boat, you will need a telephone lens to capture good, clear photos. I had my 100-400mm on this day and would recommend a similar length lens, as a larger lens may be harder to maneuver. Handholding your camera may be the best way to take photos, as the cruise does rock to some degree, although you may be able to rest your camera on the handrails to establish some degree of stability. The cruises tend to be full so a tripod would not be realistic; however, you may consider a ground pod to situate on the handrailing on the boat. Check out Audubon's Suggestions for photographing from a boat. Have fun!

Razorbills on Eastern Egg Rock