Posted by Carol Nichols on January 9, 2011 at 10:28 PM
I will be going to Bar Harbor, Maine at the end of June and want to take a side trip to photograph the puffins on Machias Seal Island. I have read as much as I can find on the internet about photograping at Machias, but I would like to hear from anyone who has been there before. Specifically, I would like to get a feeling for which boat company I should use. I know there is one that leaves out of Jonesport and another one that leaves out of Cutler. I'm not sure what the difference is between the 2 boat companies or if it even matters. I have read that reservations need to be made far in advance in order to reserve a spot that will allow me to get off at the island. Thanks for any help or tips you can give me.
Posted by Larry Reitz on January 10, 2011 at 1:57 PM
Carol,
It's been about 6-8 years since I've been there so my comments should be followed up with the captains for accuracy. Definitely make reservations well in advance. My feeling is that the boat operator matters a lot. Our small group sailed from Cutler and I think I'd recommend that operator over the Jonesport boat. Getting off the boat and onto land is done differently depending on tides etc. I have heard about trips where it was not possible to get off the boat.Check the time of day they sail and whether you can actually get on the island. I'm pretty sure there are differences and the Captains can clarify what they might be. You can likely google the puffins trips and get a good deal of background from the web.
Your time on the island will be very limited, likely less than an hour, but that should give you lots of opportunity. Once you are in the blinds the Puffins will probably sit on top of it. We were there in mid June. If you want pics of the birds returning with fish you might be better off in the first part of July so your timing should be good.
It's somewhat of a ride to either location from Bar Harbor. Cutler requires you to spend more time traveling by car and I think Jonesport means a longer boat ride to get to the Island.
Hope this helps.
Larry Reitz
Posted by Greg Lessard on January 10, 2011 at 8:41 PM
Hi Carol,
I went with Norton of Jonesport. They traditionally have had landing permits. Call to confirm. Landing is definitely the best way to go. Jonesport is nearly 2 hours from Bar Harbor. I wouldn't use a boat service unless they have landing permits. You can view some of my photos from Machias Seal Island here: http://www.greglessardphotography.com/-/greglessardphotography/gallery.asp?cat=58797&pID=1&row=7
If you go further north, you can also enjoy trips to West Quoddy Head light (the eastern most lighthouse in the U.S.) and maybe Campobello Island (Canada). Downeast Maine is pretty spread out. I prefer to spend most of my time in Acadia.
Posted by gary Hamilton on January 23, 2011 at 9:58 AM
Hi Carol:
I went to the island a few years ago thru Norton out of Jonesport. They are one of only 2 or 3 boats licensed to land at the island--make sure whichever outfit you use is licensed to land and use the photo blinds. The Jonesport boat (Norton) leaves at about 5:45 am and will return by about noon. The blinds are basic plywood structures just big enough for two shooters per blind (most of them, anyway). You will have about 2 hours max in the blinds. Time flies, so have all of your gear ready beforehand. You can easy get frame filling images with a 70-200mm lens (bring a 1.4x teleconverter just in case). Or you could use a 75-300, or a 100-400 --whatever you happen to own in that general range. A 24-70 will be your other most used lens because the puffins land and pose as close as 10 feet away. Puffins in flight are very hard to capture if they are coming in towards you because they are very fast. The season is short due to the Maine weather. The puffins will be there from June thru mid-August, so make you reservation early and don't wait until August to go. You will have to call Norton the afternoon/evening before your scheduled trip to check on whether they are going out to the island the next day--the weather is very unpredictable and they won't go unless they can land in good conditions. As soon as the chicks can fly the puffins head out to sea until the next summer. I have a handful of puffin images in the "birds and butterflies" gallery on my website if you'd like to see what the photo opps are like. Hope this was helpful--enjoy your trip. www.garyhamiltonphotos.com.
Discussion
3 repliesIt's been about 6-8 years since I've been there so my comments should be followed up with the captains for accuracy. Definitely make reservations well in advance. My feeling is that the boat operator matters a lot. Our small group sailed from Cutler and I think I'd recommend that operator over the Jonesport boat. Getting off the boat and onto land is done differently depending on tides etc. I have heard about trips where it was not possible to get off the boat.Check the time of day they sail and whether you can actually get on the island. I'm pretty sure there are differences and the Captains can clarify what they might be. You can likely google the puffins trips and get a good deal of background from the web.
Your time on the island will be very limited, likely less than an hour, but that should give you lots of opportunity. Once you are in the blinds the Puffins will probably sit on top of it. We were there in mid June. If you want pics of the birds returning with fish you might be better off in the first part of July so your timing should be good.
It's somewhat of a ride to either location from Bar Harbor. Cutler requires you to spend more time traveling by car and I think Jonesport means a longer boat ride to get to the Island.
Hope this helps.
Larry Reitz
I went with Norton of Jonesport. They traditionally have had landing permits. Call to confirm. Landing is definitely the best way to go. Jonesport is nearly 2 hours from Bar Harbor. I wouldn't use a boat service unless they have landing permits. You can view some of my photos from Machias Seal Island here: http://www.greglessardphotography.com/-/greglessardphotography/gallery.asp?cat=58797&pID=1&row=7
If you go further north, you can also enjoy trips to West Quoddy Head light (the eastern most lighthouse in the U.S.) and maybe Campobello Island (Canada). Downeast Maine is pretty spread out. I prefer to spend most of my time in Acadia.
I went to the island a few years ago thru Norton out of Jonesport. They are one of only 2 or 3 boats licensed to land at the island--make sure whichever outfit you use is licensed to land and use the photo blinds. The Jonesport boat (Norton) leaves at about 5:45 am and will return by about noon. The blinds are basic plywood structures just big enough for two shooters per blind (most of them, anyway). You will have about 2 hours max in the blinds. Time flies, so have all of your gear ready beforehand. You can easy get frame filling images with a 70-200mm lens (bring a 1.4x teleconverter just in case). Or you could use a 75-300, or a 100-400 --whatever you happen to own in that general range. A 24-70 will be your other most used lens because the puffins land and pose as close as 10 feet away. Puffins in flight are very hard to capture if they are coming in towards you because they are very fast. The season is short due to the Maine weather. The puffins will be there from June thru mid-August, so make you reservation early and don't wait until August to go. You will have to call Norton the afternoon/evening before your scheduled trip to check on whether they are going out to the island the next day--the weather is very unpredictable and they won't go unless they can land in good conditions. As soon as the chicks can fly the puffins head out to sea until the next summer. I have a handful of puffin images in the "birds and butterflies" gallery on my website if you'd like to see what the photo opps are like. Hope this was helpful--enjoy your trip. www.garyhamiltonphotos.com.