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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com
It Makes No Never Mind by James Nalley
B
y the time of this publication, Mainers will have hopefully survived the mud season and are looking forward to the warmer summer months. Interestingly, late May is when boat tours begin offering passengers a rare glimpse of Atlantic puffins, which come ashore to breed and return to the sea in late August. In general, puffins can be found across the colder regions of the North Atlantic, including Newfoundland and Iceland, with Maine at the southern end of their breeding range. In general, Maine’s puffins have had a difficult history. According to Maine Birding Trail, they were nearly “eliminated, since colorful birds were prized for their feathers and their eggs were gathered for the dinner table.” However, over the past 40 years, the National Audubon Society’s (NAS) Seabird Restoration Program, also known as “Project Puffin,” pioneered by Dr. Steven Kress, has restored breeding Atlantic puffins to islands off the coast of Maine. As stated by the NAS, the program’s innovative approach “uses decoys, mirrors, and recordings to attract birds to suitable nesting sites.” Despite the program’s success, the birds are still threatened by, for example, gulls, which often prey on puffin
chicks, and overfishing of herring and other small fish species, which puffins rely on for sustenance. For those interested in taking a peek at these rare creatures in their natural habitat, there is the seven-acre Eastern Egg Rock, which is located approximately six miles from New Harbor. In fact, this island is the world’s first re-established seabird colony, which is owned by the state and managed by Project Puffin. According to Maine Birding Trail, “This is one of the most-visited puffin islands, due to its southern location and nearness to shore…The island is less exposed to challenging seas and this can be a good choice for those prone to seasickness.” As a bonus, the following two tour boats are the only ones with educators from Project Puffin who serve as narrators with first-hand experience in restoring puffin populations: Hardy Boat Cruises (www. hardyboat.com/puffin-watch) and Cap’n Fish (www.mainewhales.com). More specifically, Hardy Boat Cruises offers puffin cruises from May 16 to late August, with daily departures. In addition, a portion of each ticket sold is donated to Project Puffin to help continue its important work. To
date, Hardy Boat Cruises has contributed more than $125,000 directly to the project. As for Cap’n Fish, they offer the Audubon Puffin and Scenic Cruise as well as the Whale/Puffin Combo Cruise. They also state that, not only is the cruise narrated by members of Project Puffin, but it also offers glimpses of many islands, three lighthouses, and an occasional whale. Well, on this note, let me close with the following jest: Late one night, a burglar broke into a house and tiptoed through the living room. But he suddenly froze in his tracks when he heard a voice say, “Jesus is watching you.” After silence returned to the house, the burglar crept forward again. “Jesus is watching you,” said the voice again. The frightened burglar looked around. In a dark corner, there was a bird cage with a parrot. He asked the parrot, “Was that you who said Jesus is watching me?” “Yes,” said the parrot. The burglar sighed in relief and asked the parrot, “What is your name?” “Clarence” replied the bird. “Well that’s a dumb name for a parrot,” sneered the burglar. “What idiot named you Clarence?” The parrot said, “The same idiot who named that large rottweiler behind you Jesus.”
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