Chris Bosak's column in The Hour, printed June 2010

Puffins at last!

It was a gray and somewhat cool day, but otherwise pleasant and nonthreatening. So why was I hearing rain on the roof?
Under normal circumstances I would have figured it out immediately. My mind, however, was temporarily overwhelmed. My senses were being fantastically bombarded from all directions and angles.
I had just stepped into a small wooden blind on Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine. Atlantic puffins and razorbills crowded the rocks surrounding the blind. There was constant motion with the seabirds landing, jockeying for position on the rocks, and taking off for short flights to the Atlantic Ocean.
Common terns noisily circled the area, nervously looking out for predators. The terns added to the cacophony already created by the puffins and razorbills.
The scent of excrement created by thousands of seabirds filled my nostrils. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a bad smell. Only different.
I was seeing puffins — and razorbills for that matter — for the first time. It was something I’ve wanted to do for years. Ever since I created the website www.birdsofnewengland.com, I’ve had a secret mission to see and photograph as many New England birds as possible.
So there I was, literally surrounded by puffins. The moment was terrific. Puffins are smallish (about 13 inches) seabirds with famously gaudy bills that are oversized, vertically flattened, orange and yellow. The Atlantic puffin is the only one found on the East Coast. Razorbills are larger (17 inches) black-and-white seabirds.
The “rain” I heard was simply the little feet of puffins and razorbills landing on the roof of the blind. I figured that out once I settled into the moment.
The only way to see puffins — which spend their entire lives either on small islands or out at sea — is to go to them. So I turned to Norton of Jonesport (Maine) for help. They had an opening on a Saturday excursion and I jumped at the opportunity to visit another part of New England for a few days. My brother Ed came along for the ride, too.
We left the harbor and, after about an hour and a half on the sea aboard “Chief,” the island came into view. Even from a formidable distance, I could see and hear the thousands of seabirds circling. We anchored “Chief,”  boarded a smaller vessel and, with help from Norton of Jonesport staff, set foot on the island.
Machias Seal Island boasts more nesting puffins — about 3,000 — than any other island off the coast of Maine. The island is relatively small and has a Canadian lighthouse. The land dispute between the two countries is beyond the scope of this humble bird column. Regardless, the island is a vital piece of real estate for the puffins and razorbills.
Norton of Jonesport, led by Holly Davis, has been visiting the island since 1939 when Captain Barna B. Norton founded the company. The Norton family has roots in Jonesport that go back to 1760, so expect a fascinating history lesson to accompany the wildlife excursion.
Anyway, back to the puffins. My brother Ed and I had our own blind for about an hour. The time went by quickly and will no doubt be a highlight of my year.
The blinds had about eight small windows cut out of the wood and we were advised to open only one or two at a time. Ed looked out a side window while I looked out a front window. For most of the hour a puffin or two or three stood on rock that abutted the blind. Those puffins were literally within arm’s length of me. The scene, with hundreds of razorbills and puffins, was nearly indescribable.
To see more pictures of puffins and razorbills (who doesn’t love puffin photos?), visit www.birdsofnewengland.com.
To reach Norton of Jonesport, call (207) 497-2560 or visit www.machiassealisland.com.

For the Birds runs Mondays in The Sentinel. Chris Bosak can be reached at bozclark@earthlink.net or via his website at www.birdsofnewengland.com