The Atlantic puffin is a bird that,
while few in number, is most
closely associated with Maine,
but puffins were nearly eradicated
in Maine in the late 1800s and
early 20th century either from being
hunted or having their eggs stolen.
50 years ago, a project to reintroduce
puffins to four main islands began,
and it has had some success,
but now there's a new threat.
New Senator Mains John Kerrigan takes
us to one of those islands eastern Egg
Rock to find out how Maines changing
climate may have a more lasting impact on
the puffins future along our coastline.
From the water's eastern egg
rock may not look like much,
but seabirds love it and one
species in particular that we
humans also love the Atlantic.
Puffin puffins are a northern species of
bird reintroduced here as an experiment
about 50 years ago and it worked.
There are now more than 100 pairs
of puffins nesting on this island.
Most summers and raising chicks with young
scientists from the National Audubon.
Society keeping
watch and people love.
Puffins are really, you know,
charmed by their appearance.
We rode to the island with Don
Lyons who overseas the work.
He's director of conservation science
for Audubon Seabird Institute.
They studied many birds,
but puffins are the stars,
so it's a great a great species
to study and share. Kind of.
What's going on with them with with
a really wide audience because it
helps people understand you, know,
the the tangible effects of climate
change that are already happening.
Happening, he says, is complicated.
Puffins here in the Gulf of Maine and
eastern Egg Rock are generally doing OK,
but he says these beloved birds face
a real challenge from climate change
and rising ocean temperatures. The
puffins depend on the fish here in
the Gulf of Maine to survive and
rising ocean temperatures in the
Gulf have caused problems the last
few years with their favorite food,
the Atlantic herring
and herring have really.
We've been challenged both by climate
change and by aggressive human harvest.
Lyons says the puffins may fly many
miles out to sea to find fish for
their own food and to bring back to
the Burrows to feed hungry chicks.
Warmer water may force the
fish to even deeper ocean,
making them harder for the puffins to get.
We haven't seen food conditions get so
dire that the puffins, the adult puffins,
begin starving themselves.
But we are seeing some years where it's
really hard for them to raise chicks,
and that's what the resident
scientists are watching.
They're living on the island for
four months to track the nesting
comings and goings of the birds.
I wasn't expecting really when I
came onto the island to like fall
in love with their personalities,
but the puffins and the turns
and all these birds just have
such charming personalities and
they're so so fun to watch and
just living every day.
Surrounded by swooping and chattering
terns and gulls and puffins, arriving
to the island with all the seabirds just
circling and then seeing my first puffin,
just fly out towards his boat. It was unreal
but there is work every day
and we do diet studies with the
birds and sitting in blinds.
We also will band little grub for the birds.
Watching the numbered Burrows for evidence
of chicks such as bringing in fish.
We're told that puffins remarkably
made for life and mostly returned
to the same island every year.
This the same pair, may be back
here next year and using the same Burrow
and what these watchers see and record
becomes part of the decades long record
of Project Puffin research. In this place,
there's a lot that needs our care right now.
Liz Ridley grew up in Maine and
says she is glad to be part of the
long history of caring for her.
Home states puffins,
but just knowing that that's like,
you know that that's like you said,
future generations, yeah, really.
Coming down the line that will
have their chicks here. One day,
the researchers tell us the puffins
are something of a bellwether
when it comes to climate change.
This is the southernmost part of their range.
There are no breeding spots anywhere
South of here for the Atlantic puffin,
but they all know the future is
uncertain because of the changes in sea
temperature and ocean water chemistry.
Brought on by the changing climate,
we're seeing red flags and we're
not to the point where those are,
you know, impending doom.
But it's concerning.
It's a wake up call for us.
You know to better manage climate change,
to be able to hold on to
these rare and and threatened
species here in the gulf.
And that is why they continue
keeping watch on Muscongus Bay.
Don Kerrigan's new center. Mean.