RTY Photography Blog

It’s been several years since I took the boat trip out to Machias Seal Island to photograph the Atlantic Puffins. My friend and talented photographer, Harry Collins, was heading out so I decided to join him. It’s a one hour ride on a fishing boat off the coast of Cutler, Maine. Normally, you have 60-90 minutes in one of the several blinds on the island. There is a limit of 15 visitors at a time on the island, the puffins are protected. The first half hour there was decent light, and then heavy fog rolled in. The weather forced the boat to leave after one hour. We has a great time shooting the puffins and razorbacks. They are not afraid of humans and approach the blind within a few feet. No long telephoto lens needed here.

The sad part is that 95% of the chicks on Machias Seal Island died this summer. The fish needed to feed the chicks went down much deeper due to higher water temperatures. They were out of range for the diving puffins. Hopefully they will rebound next spring.