Atlantic Puffins, with their colorful beaks, are a beloved sight in the North Atlantic. These seabirds can be found in Maine, which hosts the only nesting sites for Atlantic Puffins in the United States. Their presence along the rugged Maine coast offers an opportunity to observe them in their natural breeding habitat. Their return to these shores is a notable conservation achievement.
The Atlantic Puffin in Maine
The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is the species found along the Maine coast, representing the southernmost edge of their breeding range. Historically, puffins were abundant in Maine, but their populations faced decline by the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Overhunting for their meat, eggs, and feathers nearly wiped them out from the region. By 1900, only two isolated colonies remained in the Gulf of Maine, primarily protected by lighthouse keepers on islands like Matinicus Rock and Machias Seal Island.
In addition to human exploitation, expanding populations of predatory gulls also hindered recolonization. The ground-nesting habits of puffins made them vulnerable to these pressures. Despite these challenges, conservation efforts began to reverse this trend, allowing these seabirds to re-establish a foothold in their historical breeding grounds.
Where and When to Spot Them
Observing Atlantic Puffins in Maine is seasonal, as these birds spend most of their lives on the open ocean. They return to coastal islands for breeding, from late April or early May through August. The peak viewing period is in June and July, when nesting activity is high and adults are actively feeding their young.
Several remote islands off the Maine coast serve as nesting sites for puffins. These include Eastern Egg Rock, Matinicus Rock, Seal Island, Machias Seal Island, and Petit Manan Island. Most are protected wildlife refuges, and direct on-shore visits are restricted to minimize disturbance. The primary way to see puffins is by taking specialized boat tours that circle these islands, often with naturalists providing commentary. Machias Seal Island, on the U.S.-Canada border, is a rare exception where regulated landings are permitted for closer observation from blinds.
Conservation Success Story
The return of Atlantic Puffins to Maine is attributed to Project Puffin, an initiative of the National Audubon Society. Started in 1973 by biologist Dr. Stephen Kress, the project aimed to re-establish puffin colonies on islands where they had disappeared. A core strategy involved translocating young puffin chicks, known as “pufflings,” from a healthy colony in Newfoundland, Canada, to historic nesting sites in Maine, such as Eastern Egg Rock and Seal Island.
These chicks were hand-reared in artificial burrows until they were ready to fledge, hoping they would imprint on the new island as their natal home. To encourage returning birds to settle, Project Puffin pioneered social attraction techniques. This included deploying lifelike wooden decoys and playing audio recordings of their calls, creating the illusion of a thriving colony. This blend of translocation and social attraction proved highly successful, and these methods have since been adopted globally for seabird restoration. Today, approximately 1,300 breeding pairs across five Maine islands, with a total population of around 3,000 birds, demonstrate a significant rebound from their near disappearance.