The Puffins

Puffins

July 5, 2023

Machias Seal Island

Canada

I made the reservation for this trip on January 17, 2023, at 9AM sharp.  That was the first moment to get on line and reserve a spot.  And within 45 minutes, every spot for the summer is taken. I secured two tickets for a friend and me for July 5. And I was so damn excited.  I have wanted to see these elusive birds for years now.  I went to Bar Harbor, Maine and took a local cruise about 15 years ago.  All I saw from this option was a bird or two in flight. I don't think I could even distinguish any features of the birds. But on this trip, I was going to get up close and personal with these magical birds. And on January 17, when i made the reservation,  July 5 seemed like it would take a lifetime to get there.

But July 5th did finally arrive and the day was magical.  We were up and on our way to the harbor by 7 AM on this foggy, foggy morning and we boarded a ferry boat to take us just a few yards out to our awaiting 30' fishing boat.  There were 15 of us and we were all giddy with excitement. The captain told us that we had about an hour's ride out to the island. And off we went in to the dense fog.  Upon arrival, we had to be ferried to the dock and we were given a pole to hold over our heads.  Apparently, terns had just laid their eggs and they were aggressively protecting their nests.  They charge at the tallest objects on the dock.  And so these poles kept us safe from the protective birds.

We were assigned 4 people to a wooden blind box.  It was crowded in there and we were on top of one another.  But none of us seemed to care.  We were just so happy to be here.  And outside of the boxes were hundreds and hundreds of puffins, hopping around, complexity obvious to us. They were magnificent.  I could have watched them all day.  But we only had an hour in the blind and the time seemed to pass as if it was only five minutes. I dint want to leave.