by Marion Sprague
It was so great to get to see some of our young birders again! On Saturday, July 19th three of our young birders and their families embarked on the Maine Audubon Puffin Cruise into Muscongus Bay to Eastern Egg Rock. We donned our masks (Seth even had a really fun puffin print mask!) for an evening of seabirds and rocking seas.
The island is home to the world's first restored seabird colony. The restoration of Eastern Egg Rock has been replicated worldwide to help endangered and threated seabirds. On the ride out to the island, Captain Al gave a brief overview of the history of puffins and what makes this tiny, 7-acre island so important for in their continued breeding success. Last year there were over 180 breeding pairs of Atlantic Puffins on the island.
As we approached the island we were greeted by the sounds of terns and Laughing Gulls. We saw about 30 of our target bird, the Atlantic Puffin, throughout the evening—even a few carry fish in their brightly colored bills. The group was treated to many spectacular sightings including Black Guillemots (the MYBC mascot!) showing off their red feet. We saw 3 species of terns: Common, Roseate and Artic. As were circled the island scanning for birds a lone Razorbill made two passes by the boat. We later spotted the Razorbill in a raft of puffins nearby. The groups got some wonderful looks at it on the water.
As were left and headed toward Franklin Light to round out our evening, Doug called out a Sooty Shearwater and a few minutes later a Great Shearwater! We ended the evening with the story of Franklin Light (the 3rd oldest lighthouse in Maine!) and a few good looks at harbor seals before we headed back to New Harbor.
Check out the eBird checklists here:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S72109584
https://ebird.org/checklist/S72109589
MYBC wants to give a huge thank you to Maine Audubon for sponsoring this trip for the young birders and club coordinators. Also thanks to Doug Hitchcox for sharing his expertise with the young birders and parents! We appreciated his excellent leadership on this trip.
Keep your eye out for our August trip announcement coming soon! Happy Birding.
