News from the Seabird Islands: Summer Updates from Project Puffin

News from the Seabird Islands

August 11, 2001: Our summer 2001 field season is coming to a close and by August 15th we will have buttoned up all of our island research stations. Eastern Egg Rock saw its puffin colony grow by two pairs to a new record of 37 pairs. The puffin colony on Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge jumped 21 pairs from last year's total to a new record of 146 pairs. (A complete description of our field season will be available this autumn in our annual Egg Rock Update.)

Eighty puffin chicks were successfully 'grubbed' (gently pulled out of their burrows) on Matinicus Rock this summer by supervisor Christina Maranto and her very flexible team of interns. This challenging exercise in contortion and persistence requires interns to wedge themselves in, under, and between the giant boulders which make up the puffin burrow habitat. Each chick is weighed, measured, inspected, and banded before being put back. Hundreds of chicks have been banded over the years and this greatly helps us keep track of their comings and goings, whether they stay on Matinicus Rock, or are seen at other islands in Maine.

Media attention on the project has been especially strong this summer, and nationally syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman recently visited Eastern Egg Rock aboard the Hardy Boat, from New Harbor, Maine. Her column 'Eastern Egg Rock Is For the Birds' appeared this week in a variety of newspapers. A second article, 'Project Puffin Restoring Seabirds to the Gulf of Maine' appeared in the July 26th issue of the Christian Science Monitor.

Most of the thousands of pairs of Common, Arctic, and Roseate Terns that breed on our six managed islands have already started their long migrations. Terns migrate in family groups, and Arctic Terns typically fly across the Atlantic Ocean to the coast of Africa, and then down to Antarctica, a journey of perhaps 8,000 to 10,000 miles! Common Terns winter off the coast of Brazil and Argentina, while Roseates go to the coast of Columbia and Venezuela.

July 26, 2001: - The Christian Science Monitor is featuring Project Puffin it today's edition. Check out Christian Science Monitor Article on Project Puffin.

July 24, 2001: Julie Kleinhans, Egg Rock Supervisor, reports that there are now 37 active burrows on the seven acre island, compared to 35 last year. Andre Breton, supervisor on Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge, has radioed in that 133 pairs of puffins are currently nesting, and more are expected. Last year 125 pair of puffins nested there. With ten days to go before the season ends at Egg Rock and about three weeks until the Seal Island program ends, these tallies are especially exciting.

All of the "adopted" puffins have returned this summer on Eastern Egg Rock. These hardy and outstanding birds were all originally brought down as chicks from Newfoundland in the years 1977-1980. Several are now 24 years old. Eventually, we will learn how long puffins live- one of the mysteries that puffins still hold.

A particularly long-lived puffin - White 14 -was recaptured this summer on Matinicus Rock and rebanded for the fourth time. New bands are necessary, because granite abrades the leg bands- eventually making the band illegible. This bird is also from the group of puffin chicks brought down from Newfoundland during the early years of the project, but is from the 1975 year class, making him 26 years old! This is the only known survivor from that group, and is currently helping to raise yet another chick.

On Stratton Island (Saco Bay) a pair of American Oystercatchers that have nested there for the past six summers have successfully fledged two chicks for the first time in several years. Perhaps the huge increase in tern numbers have benefited Oystercatchers. There are Oystercatcher nests in only two other known locations in Maine, and the Stratton Island team is thrilled to be seeing the new recruits energetically trying out their wings.

Shorebirds are now beginning to migrate south from their summer breeding grounds in the Arctic, and island biologists are seeing Whimbrels, Hudsonian Godwits, Red Knots, Dowitchers, Ruddy Turnstones, and others stopping by to rest and feed while on their long journey to South America.

July 4th, 2001: Each year in mid June island biologists conduct a careful count of the number of tern nests on their islands. Eastern Egg Rock supervisor Julie Kleinhans has just reported some preliminary findings:

Common Tern nests increased from last year's count of 1,443 to a record 1514.
Arctic Tern nests increased from 85 pairs to 91.
Roseate Tern nests decreased from 165 in 2000 to a current 143.
However, our Stratton Island field station tells us they found 22 more roseate nests than last year!

There are now twenty-three active puffin burrows on Eastern Egg Rock, and more are being identified each week. We think that this year's total number of breeding puffins will be similar to last year's count of thirty five pairs, or may be higher. Those of you who have "adopted" Atlantic Puffins may be interested in knowing that we've so far seen the following individuals: Bi 70, Bi 76, Bi 98, En 53, En+06, U18, Y11, Y54, Y75, and "K".

A rarely seen Manx Shearwater has been "hanging around" Eastern Egg Rock for the past few weeks. There is only one colony of these petite oceangoing birds in North America - in Newfoundland - as most of their nesting occurs in the British Isles.

Our live video footage continues to give people everywhere a look into seabird life on the island. The camera is available online daily. It is currently focused on terns and will move to cover more of the puffin activity soon.

Passengers aboard our two Maine puffin-watching cruises have recently seen several large and quite unusual-looking Ocean Sunfish very near the boat, as well as a few Minke whales. Hardy Boat Tours has trips from New Harbor that leave every evening at 5:30 p.m. (1-800-2-PUFFIN). Cap'n Fish's Boats have trips four mornings a week from Boothbay Harbor (207) 633-3244.

June 15, 2001: Hundreds of pairs of terns are busy on Eastern Egg Rock incubating their eggs. All three species - common, arctic, and the Federally-endangered Roseate tern - are back in good numbers. Puffins are back too, and we've already identified five veteran birds who some of you may have "adopted". BI98, Y54, Y75, EN+06 and K. We've also watched as adult puffins have begun to bring beak loads of fish to two different burrow sitters and unmistakable sign that their eggs are hatching and the nestlings need to be fed.

The summer boat trips out to see puffins and terns have just begun, and cruises will continue till mid-August. For information call the Hardy Boat in New Harbor at 1-800-2-Puffin or Cap'n Fish at 207-633-3244. Audubon narrators are aboard each trip.

On June 6th twenty three members of our project roamed across much of the state of Maine during our 13th annual staff Birdathon, hoping to see as many different species as possible. Exciting Highlights include: Rose Borzik & Debbie Wood sighted three Peregrine Falcon chicks in a nest along the Precipice trail at Acadia National Park. Scott Hall camped out in a bog the night before the big day and in spite of fighting off hordes of biting mosquitoes, he managed to find the rare Yellow Rail - a first sighting for the Birdathon & a life bird for Scott. Members of our Stratton Island team heard and saw a secretive Least Bittern in the small cattail rimmed pond there in the middle of the island - another first. At the end of a very long and fun-filled day we tallied 200 species - an astonishing 25 more than our previous record of 175, set last year.

A census of nesting Razorbill Auks on Matinicus Rock found 159 active nests, surpassing last year's count of 136. Razorbills only nest on a few islands in the Gulf of Maine, and Matinicus Rock is their southern most breeding ground in North America.

For a spectacular view of bird life on busy Eastern Egg Rock check out our new live streaming video. Not only can you see terns on their nests as wells as Puffins and other birds, but you can also hear their distant calls and vocalizations. This is an unprecedented opportunity to see how birds live on a moment-to-moment, day-to-day basis and we invite you to join us!

You can support Project Puffin through our Adopt-a-Puffin program. By adopting a Puffin, you contribute to insuring the future of Puffins on Maine's Coast...and now you can do it online!

Adopt Online through the Puffin Burrow Online Store

For General Information and Questions:
puffin@audubon.org

Mailing Address:
Project Puffin
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, New York 14850
607-257-7308