An Outing to See the Atlantic Puffins...

One very nice thing about volunteering is that sometimes we are offered opportunities to participate in events or activities that might be very costly or simply not available to the general public.

This past weekend the Refuge Manager, down at Moosehorn NWR, sent us (and the other volunteers, including members of The Friends group) an invitation to attend a fund raising event (at no cost to us) aboard a Whale Watching tour boat.  It was to sail out of Bar Harbor, Maine at 5pm on Sunday, August 3.

The Friends of Maine Seabird Islands sponsored this event.

There were refreshments available on one of the lower decks.

That's the boat we were on, and that's Carolyn (of Carolyn & Wally's Blog), who is a volunteer down at Moosehorn NWR.

 We sailed out of the harbor, and across the bay to the Egg Rock NWR.

These island refuges are, of course, only accessible by boat.  Usually the only people on them are biotechs or other personnel doing research work.

 We saw these seals hanging out on a spit of rocks.  During low tide, the rocks are visible along an area from the island out into the water.

The waters must be full of lobster and other edible seafood as there are an abundance of colorful buoys marking lobster traps.

Petit Manon NWR

This was our goal...  to view the island, see the birds and hear the on-board speaker talk.

Linda Welch...  Wildlife Biologist

Linda pointed out the various birds...  Atlantic Puffins, razorbills, gulls, terns and the such.

She talked about the inter-action between the species, told us about their nesting habits, raising their young, and about some of the problems the birds encounter.

Her talk was both interesting and educational.

While we did see other species of birds, I think most folks on board wanted to see the Atlantic Puffin.  This colony of puffins did not disappoint us...  The boat stayed close by for maybe a half hour or so allowing everyone to take their photo ops.

Of course the main event for The Friends Group was the presentation of this check for $1,250 from the Whale Watch Boat company...  the amount that this fund-raiser had generated for wildlife preservation.

Bill & I sat on the top deck the whole time...  I think about 2.5 hours.  It was cold and at times quite windy...  but it was a wonderful way to see the sights...  and a great way to spend a Sunday evening.

Thank you, Bill K. for giving this opportunity.

That's All For Today!