The Seabird Institute Research Islands

Outer Green Island

This 5-acre island sits at the head of Casco Bay, 5 miles east of Portland, Cumberland County. Outer Green Island is owned by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW). The island is cooperatively managed by the National Audubon Society and MDIFW with logistic support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Gulf of Maine Program. 

Restoration History

Restoration began in 2002, using a combination of pyrotechnics and human presence to deter nesting gulls, and decoys and recorded sounds to attract breeding terns, we began work to bring terns back to the island. Common Terns responded quickly to the methods with several pairs nesting in the first year of restoration. In recent years, about 1000 pairs of Common Terns and several pairs of Roseate Terns have nested here. Conceived as a mammal-free nesting island, this has proved largely true, though a mink occasionally swim to the island.

Research Projects

The Outer Green Island field season begins in mid May and continues through late July. Work includes, but is not limited to, the following projects: annual tern, guillemot and eider census; tern and guillemot productivity and chick growth; tern provisioning studies; vegetation monitoring and management; daily weather and bird lists; and predator management.

Jenny Island

This 3-acre island in eastern Casco Bay is located 1 ½ miles south of Cundy's Harbor, Cumberland County. The island has a north facing beach, extensive tide pools, a rocky perimeter and a low lying interior dominated by shrubs. Jenny Island is owned by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is cooperatively managed by the National Audubon Society. 

Restoration History

Tern restoration began in 1991, with a gull management program. By 1993, Jenny Island was the only active tern colony in Casco Bay. Throughout the years, predation by Great-horned Owls, Black-crowned Night-herons, and mink have impacted this colony. 

Research Projects

The Jenny Island field season begins in late May and continues through late July. Projects include the annual tern, laughing gull and eider census; tern productivity, chick growth and provisioning studies; laughing gull kleptoparasite observations; vegetation monitoring and management; daily weather and bird lists; and predator management. 

Pond Island NWR

Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is a 10-acre island located in the mouth of the Kennebec River in Georgetown, Sagadahoc County. The island includes a variety of habitats including sandy beach, beach grass meadow, poison ivy/raspberry shrubland, fescue meadows and steep rocky sea cliffs. Pond Island NWR is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Maine Coastal Islands NWR (MCINWR) and is cooperatively managed with the National Audubon Society. The island has an automated light and foghorn maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Restoration History

Tern restoration on Pond Island NWR began in 1996, with a gull management and social attraction program, and terns nested that year for the first time since 1937. Tern numbers continue to increase, with over 600 pairs now. Significant annual predation by Great Horned Owls has hampered recovery efforts as the owls cause the terns to abandon their chicks at night, increasing mortality. The annual success of the colony is directly related to success in managing owls. In most years, there is abundant forage fish.

Research Projects

The Pond Island NWR field season usually begins in late May and continues through late July. Projects include the annual tern and eider census; tern productivity, chick growth, and provisioning studies; daily weather and bird lists; and predator management.  

Eastern Egg Rock

Eastern Egg Rock is a 7-acre island located in outer Muscongus Bay, 6 miles east of New Harbor, Knox County. The treeless island is designated the Allan D. Cruickshank Wildlife Sanctuary in honor of this noted Maine ornithologist and photographer. The island is fringed by a berm of massive granite boulders that provide nesting habitat for puffins and guillemots. The interior habitat is home to nesting terns, laughing gulls and eiders. The rank vegetation, fertilized annually by the birds, is dominated by dense pasture grasses, raspberry, and elderberry. Eastern Egg Rock is owned by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is managed by National Audubon Society through a cooperative agreement. The island is home to the Adopt-A-Puffins, some of which are nearly 30 years old! 

Home to the world’s first restored seabird colony!

The methods initiated here in 1973 have been replicated dozens of times worldwide to help endangered and threatened seabirds. Like many Maine coast seabird colonies, nesting seabird populations were diminished and eventually extirpated by a combination of egging, hunting for meat and feathers, and displacement by expanding Herring and Great Black-backed Gull populations that increased in response to fishing practices and municipal waste. Prior to recolonization, puffins last nested in 1885 and terns last nested in 1936. Gull management, the translocation of nearly 1,000 young puffins from Newfoundland, and social attraction (decoys and mirror boxes) were the primary tools for restoring puffins. In response to the puffin restoration, five pairs of puffins began nesting in 1981; by 2017, at least 172 pairs were nesting on the island. Tern restoration relied on gull management and social attraction (decoys and sound); the first terns nested in 1980 and today the colony supports approx. 1,000 pairs.

Research Projects

The Eastern Egg Rock field season begins in mid May and continues through mid August. Projects include the annual tern, eider, and laughing gull census; tern band resighting, chick provisioning, productivity and growth studies; puffin census, productivity, band resighting and provisioning studies; vegetation monitoring and management; predator management; and daily weather and bird lists.

Matinicus Rock

Matinicus Rock is the most remote of our seven field stations. It is a 22-acre offshore island located in outer Penobscot Bay, 23 miles southeast of Rockland, Knox County. Steep sea cliffs and boulder fields dominate the northern, eastern and southern boundaries of the island; while the west side slopes from the high point to an inter-tidal zone with rock and pebble beaches. This treeless island's interior undulates; the exposed high terrain is characterized by granite with low-growing vegetation, while the protected drainages have deep, peat soils dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants. Matinicus Rock is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge (MCINWR) and is cooperatively managed by the National Audubon Society and MCINWR. The island continues to be the site of a Coast Guard light and foghorn. 

Restoration History

The first light station was built in 1827 and there are many tales of heroism associated with the light keeper era, none more famous than that of young lighthouse heroine Abbie Burgess. The light is now automated and the buildings and facilities are maintained by MCINWR and the Seabird Institute. The island has a long-intertwined seabird and human history – the first wardens here were light keepers of Matinicus Rock, hired by the  American Ornithologists Union  in 1901 and soon thereafter by the National Association of Audubon Societies (National Audubon Society). 

The first wardens were charged with protecting nesting birds from widespread slaughter by millinery hunters. Most seabirds were already extirpated from Maine at this time, including puffins, but one pair survived here in 1901. In the 1930's Carl and Harriet Buchheister (he was past Audubon president and first  Director of the Audubon Camp on Hog Island ) began a long tenure of studying storm-petrels and continuing the role of Audubon warden for the island. They resided in what is known as 'Audubon House' most summers from 1936-1981. In 1979, Project Puffin staff first visited to study puffins in what then was the only Maine nesting colony. Unlike most Maine seabird colonies, nesting puffins, terns, storm-petrels and other species continued using the site throughout the 20th century due to the consistent presence of wardens. 

Nesting and Migratory Birds

Matinicus Rock supports one of the most diverse seabird breeding colonies on the US Atlantic Coast. Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Black Guillemots, Leach's Storm-petrels, Arctic, Common and occasionally Roseate Terns, Laughing Gulls, and Common Eiders nest. Matinicus Rock is also the only known nesting place for Manx Shearwater in the United States. Common Murres are regularly present, though not breeding on the island. The island supports over 500 pairs of nesting puffins, 400 pairs of razorbills, 1,000 pairs of terns and about 700 pairs of Laughing Gulls. Black Guillemots and Leach's Storm-petrels are also common. Spring migration can be outstanding; 194 species (including breeding birds) have been recorded on the island since 2000, including notable records for Yellow-nosed Albatross, Red-billed Tropicbird, and Plumbeous Vireo.

Research Projects

The Matinicus Rock field season begins in mid May and continues through mid August. Projects include the annual tern, eider, and Laughing Gull census; tern band resighting, chick provisioning, productivity and chick growth studies; Razorbill and puffin census, productivity, banding, band resighting and provisioning studies; Leach's Storm-petrel productivity; daily weather and bird lists; and predator management.

Seal Island NWR

Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is a 109-acre offshore island located in outer Penobscot Bay, 22 miles southeast of Rockland, Knox County. The island is about one mile long and about 100 to 300 yards wide. Spectacular sea cliffs dominate the southeastern side of the island, while the northwest side slopes from several high points to an inter-tidal zone with two distinct coves (the eastern and western bights) which both have rock/ pebble beaches. The exposed high terrain is characterized by granite with sparse, low-growing vegetation, while the protected drainages, open meadows, some NW facing slopes and the beach habitat support a rich assemblage of annuals and perennials with few shrubs and no trees. Seal Island NWR is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Maine Coastal Islands NWR (MCINWR) and is cooperatively managed by the National Audubon Society and MCINWR.

Seabird History

The Island is home to a restored seabird colony of puffins, razorbills and terns. Restoration began in 1984 with gull management, the translocation of nearly 1,000 young puffins from Newfoundland and social attraction for puffins and terns (using decoys and mirror boxes). Prior to the initiation of restoration activities, puffins last nested around 1887 and terns last nested in 1936. After restoration, puffins began nesting in 1992 and by 2012 more than 500 pairs were nesting. The first terns nested in 1989 and today the colony supports more than 2,500 pairs of Arctic and Common Terns - one of Maine's largest tern colonies. The island also has a long human history; it has been used as a fishing camp/outpost, and from the early 1940's until 1966, the U.S. Navy used the island as a bombing range. The island was transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1972 and it later became part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Nesting and Migratory Birds

Seal Island NWR supports a diverse seabird colony with nesting Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Black Guillemots, Leach's Storm-petrels, Arctic, Common and occasionally Roseate Terns, Common Eiders, Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, and Double-crested and Great Cormorants. Common Murres are also present, though not breeding on the island. In 2021, a leucistic great Cormorant chick, dubbed the "spirit bird," hatched and fledged from the island. 

Spring and fall migration can be outstanding; 224 species (including breeding birds) have been recorded on the island since 2000, including several Maine rarities such as Yellow-nosed Albatross, Red-billed Tropicbird, Ash-throated Flycatcher and Prothonotary Warbler. 

Research Projects

The Seal Island NWR field season begins in mid-May and continues through mid-August. Projects includes the annual tern, eider, and gull census; tern band resighting, chick provisioning, productivity and chick growth studies; razorbill and puffin census, productivity, banding, band resighting and provisioning studies; black guillemot productivity and chick growth; daily weather and bird lists; and gull management.