Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X V I I J U LY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 18 Power to the puffins W atching "Titanic" the night before may not have been the best idea, but it took only a minute to get sucked right back into the story until its bittersweet end three hours later. e next day at New Harbor on Maine's mid-coast, my other half and I boarded a Hardy Boat Cruise for a 90-minute puffi n-watching excursion run in cooperation with the National Audubon Society's Project Puffi n, which has a visitor center in Rockland. Project Puffi n was launched in 1973 to restore puffi ns and other seabirds to historic nesting spots in the Gulf of Maine. e destination? Eastern Egg Rock Island, a seven-acre treeless tract of land located in outer Muscongus Bay. Designated the Allan D. Cruickshank Wildlife Sanctuary, it's home to the world's fi rst restored seabird colony. e only humans there are the few research- ers camping out for weeks at a time. As the boat engines cranked up and the winds began to blow, passengers found their seats (adventurers in front and on the upper deck, amateurs below under cover), rented binoculars (we had our own) and grabbed complimentary ginger candies and seasickness bags (for- tunately, none appeared to be needed). Soon after departure, our Audubon guide began the lesson with an intro- duction to island nesters, from puffi ns to terns to gulls to cormorants, as a crew member did a show-and-tell with dia- grams. We learned that terns are angular, wispy fl iers, while Atlantic puffi ns — orange-beaked and -footed cuties — return to coastal areas to breed and nest in cliff -top colonies. Sadly by the late 1800s, hunters had killed off all the puffi ns in the area. Project Puffi n aimed to bring them back to Eastern Egg Rock by transplant- ing young chicks from Newfoundland reared in artifi cial sod burrows, in hopes that they would return after two to three years at sea to breed. It worked, and now more than 1,000 puffi n pairs nest on three Maine islands, including Eastern Egg Rock. As the boat neared the island, sight- ings started from all sides called out by our Audubon guide like horse-racing announcer Larry Collmus at Belmont Park: Puffi n fl ying in at 10 o'clock! 12 o'clock, now 1 o'clock, heading towards the islands! Puffi n at 3 o'clock on the water, diving down for food, watch to see where he emerges! Quick! At 9 o'clock heading for the island! It was amazing how quickly these funny-faced avians that resembled fl ying penguins zipped through the air. ough we didn't see huge colonies on the rocks as one would in a David Attenborough nature documentary, this was a rare opportunity to view these amazing creatures up close. Getting the perfect picture paled by comparison, even for social-media bragging rights. On the way back, we learned more from our guide, a real ham in mimick- ing the cow-like sound puffi ns make in their underground burrows and quips about having a "swell" time on the waves. ough I refrained from buying puffi n keychains, socks or other merchandise for sale, I contributed a small sum to the Project Puffi n collection jar to support a worthy and noble cause. R C, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at @ . and @ I N S I D E T H E N OT E B O O K Now Open in Freeport! Come meet Travis and Bill at our new electronic banking and loan center at 181 Lower Main Street in Freeport. Travis Rowell, Residen al and Consumer Lender Bill Hill, Regional Vice President and Loan Officer Member FDIC Local Lending. We Make It Easy FREE GIFT Mainebiz readers, present this card at our 181 Lower Main Street loca on to redeem your gi . OFFER EXPIRES 10/1/17 Augusta • Farmingdale • Waterville • Winthrop New location in Freeport! (207) 865-1550 KennebecSavings.Bank P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R National Audubon Society's Puffi n Project is focused on three Maine islands, including Eastern Egg Rock.

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