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Just got back from a week-long trip to Maine. This trip was designed around 2 big activities, a Puffin tour and Acadia National Park. If you are interested in doing a similar trip I have some advice.
1. Book your Puffin tour with Bold Coast Charter Company. The reason for this is that this is the only US based tour company that can land on Machias Seal Island that Puffins nest on, which means that you can get incredibly close to Puffins and you are on land rather than on a boat. There are a few things to know about such a trip, 1) the season will be fully booked within the first hour they are made available, 2) like any activity that involves boats, you are at the mercy of the weather and seas so there is a possibility that your trip could be cancelled (the 3 days prior to my date were cancelled) or you are not able to land on the island (2 of the 3 that launched were not able to land). 3) This tour launches from a town about 2 hours from Acadia so it would be best to stay closer, I stayed at the Machias River Inn which was nice. 4) My trip was booked for the earlier part of the breeding season so baby Puffins were still too young to be out of the nest but adults were still bringing in food, so just something to keep in mind. Photos below.
2. Book a Castine Kayak Bioluminescence Night Paddle Trip. I have no photos from this because well it wouldn't have done it justice. This location is an hour from Acadia but if you are staying on Mt Desert Island than give yourself several hours to get there just in case there is a crash that blocks the bridge off of Mt Desert Island. Don't let this be a deterrent, take this trip.
3. For Acadia buy your pass early, remember that you need a separate pass for BOTH Cadillac Mountain day pass and Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain as the Sunrise pass will only get you up the mountain between 4-6am, the day pass is for 6am-sunset. The Jordan Pond House is good and several of the options are great prices but again book a time as early as you can as this is the only in park restaurant, the pop-overs are fine but I would just get one of the meals with them and not just them (the Potpie with Pop-over is good). For any of the trails between Sandy Beach and Otter Point or the ones around Jordan Pond it is best to get to them first thing in the morning as they will get crowded quickly. Bass Harbor Head Light Station is a good spot for sunset shots just probably not within a month of the summer equinox, it is also very rocky and has a small parking area. There are a number of good places to get sunset shots such as Cadillac Mountain, Otter Point or one of the stops between Cadillac Mountain entrance and Jordan Pont. If you are going to Thunder Hole know that the best time is an hour before to an hour after high tide but also when seas are rough, if the seas are calm don't bother.
Some photos. I'll be adding more later.
From Machias Seal Island, most of these were with the 100-400GM, the hides are rather small and the openings are small as well but also the birds get very close.
Puffin
Razorbill
Common Murre
Grey Seal
Common Loon
From the Acadia area
Sunrise Cadillac Mt
Echo Lake
Sandy Beach
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse (sunset)
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler (been after one of these for several years now)
Butterfly
1. Book your Puffin tour with Bold Coast Charter Company. The reason for this is that this is the only US based tour company that can land on Machias Seal Island that Puffins nest on, which means that you can get incredibly close to Puffins and you are on land rather than on a boat. There are a few things to know about such a trip, 1) the season will be fully booked within the first hour they are made available, 2) like any activity that involves boats, you are at the mercy of the weather and seas so there is a possibility that your trip could be cancelled (the 3 days prior to my date were cancelled) or you are not able to land on the island (2 of the 3 that launched were not able to land). 3) This tour launches from a town about 2 hours from Acadia so it would be best to stay closer, I stayed at the Machias River Inn which was nice. 4) My trip was booked for the earlier part of the breeding season so baby Puffins were still too young to be out of the nest but adults were still bringing in food, so just something to keep in mind. Photos below.
2. Book a Castine Kayak Bioluminescence Night Paddle Trip. I have no photos from this because well it wouldn't have done it justice. This location is an hour from Acadia but if you are staying on Mt Desert Island than give yourself several hours to get there just in case there is a crash that blocks the bridge off of Mt Desert Island. Don't let this be a deterrent, take this trip.
3. For Acadia buy your pass early, remember that you need a separate pass for BOTH Cadillac Mountain day pass and Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain as the Sunrise pass will only get you up the mountain between 4-6am, the day pass is for 6am-sunset. The Jordan Pond House is good and several of the options are great prices but again book a time as early as you can as this is the only in park restaurant, the pop-overs are fine but I would just get one of the meals with them and not just them (the Potpie with Pop-over is good). For any of the trails between Sandy Beach and Otter Point or the ones around Jordan Pond it is best to get to them first thing in the morning as they will get crowded quickly. Bass Harbor Head Light Station is a good spot for sunset shots just probably not within a month of the summer equinox, it is also very rocky and has a small parking area. There are a number of good places to get sunset shots such as Cadillac Mountain, Otter Point or one of the stops between Cadillac Mountain entrance and Jordan Pont. If you are going to Thunder Hole know that the best time is an hour before to an hour after high tide but also when seas are rough, if the seas are calm don't bother.
Some photos. I'll be adding more later.
From Machias Seal Island, most of these were with the 100-400GM, the hides are rather small and the openings are small as well but also the birds get very close.
Puffin
- ILCE-1
- Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
- 600.0 mm
- ƒ/6.3
- 1/5000 sec
- ISO 1250
Razorbill
- ILCE-1M2
- Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
- 600.0 mm
- ƒ/6.3
- 1/5000 sec
- ISO 640
Common Murre
- ILCE-1
- Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
- 600.0 mm
- ƒ/7.1
- 1/5000 sec
- ISO 400
Grey Seal
- ILCE-1M2
- Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
- 600.0 mm
- ƒ/6.3
- 1/5000 sec
- ISO 500
Common Loon
- ILCE-1M2
- Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
- 600.0 mm
- ƒ/7.1
- 1/1250 sec
- ISO 400
From the Acadia area
Sunrise Cadillac Mt
- ILCE-1
- E 17-28mm F2.8-2.8
- 28.0 mm
- ƒ/11
- 1/25 sec
- ISO 400
Echo Lake
- ILCE-1
- Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS (SEL24105G)
- 24.0 mm
- ƒ/11
- 1/320 sec
- ISO 200
Sandy Beach
- ILCE-1M2
- Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS (SEL24105G)
- 76.0 mm
- ƒ/11
- 1/400 sec
- ISO 400
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse (sunset)
- ILCE-1
- Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS (SEL24105G)
- 47.0 mm
- ƒ/20
- 1/160 sec
- ISO 400
Black-throated Green Warbler
- ILCE-1M2
- Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
- 600.0 mm
- ƒ/6.3
- 1/1000 sec
- ISO 12800
Blackburnian Warbler (been after one of these for several years now)
- ILCE-1M2
- Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
- 600.0 mm
- ƒ/6.3
- 1/1000 sec
- ISO 5000
Butterfly
- ILCE-1M2
- Sony FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G)
- 600.0 mm
- ƒ/7.1
- 1/640 sec
- ISO 400
