PUFFIN WATCH WITH NATIONAL AUDUBON

Puffin Watching Tours in New Harbor

New Harbor is only 5 miles from Eastern Egg Rock (EER) making it the closest, easiest and most convenient way to see these fascinating birds. On the way to the EER you will see Franklin Island Lighthouse, Monhegan Island, the islands of Muscongus Bay and a spectacular view of the Camden Hills.

The boat circles EER at a distance of 50 – 150 feet from the rocky shoreline. Puffins are frequently sighted on the water and often seen as close as 25 feet from the boat! The boat will circle the island for about 30 minutes. The migratory seabird colony on EER is protected during the breeding and nesting season. No people, other than Project Puffin biologists, are allowed on the island.

Dr. Stephen Kress founded Project Puffin in 1973, and the National Audubon Project Puffin naturalists will join us aboard every cruise to narrate, help with bird identification and answer questions throughout the trip.

“I am proud of the partnership that Project Puffin and Hardy Boat Cruises have developed. Since 1986, Hardy Boat Cruises and Audubon naturalists have worked together to bring people close to the birds while providing fun and inspiring narrations about the puffins and other seabirds of Eastern Egg Rock. By donating part of the proceeds from each tour to Audubon, Hardy Boat Cruises is helping to insure a sustainable future for this special seabird colony.”
~ Stephen Kress, National Audubon Society; Founder, Project Puffin

Other birds found on EER include: Common and Arctic Terns, the endangered Roseate Tern, Black Guillemot, Common Eider Duck, Herring Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Laughing Gull, Northern Gannet, Wilson’s Storm Petrel and Double-Crested Cormorant. Occasional sightings include: Surf Scoter, Razorbill (frequently seen in May and June), Greater Cormorant, Purple Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstone, Greater Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Black Tern and Parasitic Jaeger.

The Hardy III has a 360 degree unobstructed view from the upper deck. The lower deck is enclosed to keep you warm, dry and out of the sun. We open in mid-May and will run cruises until the puffins migrate away from EER which usually occurs around mid-August.