– On remote islands off the Maine coast, a unique bird held its own this year in the face of climate change.
The encouraging news comes as the Audubon Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary of tending to Maine's puffin colonies, which it restored from just a few dozen pairs. There are now as many as 3,000 birds, and the population is stable, Lyons said. Audubon and other conservation groups have tied the fish shortage to warming ocean temperatures. The Gulf of Maine, which has puffin colonies on its islands, is warming faster than most of the world's oceans, and some recent years. The early part of this summer appears to have been “still unusually warm,” said David Reidmiller, climate center director at Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, Maine.
“The problem with climate change is these breeding failures and low breeding productivity years are now becoming chronic,” Sydeman said. “There will be fewer young birds in the population that are able to recruit into the breeding population.” Today, puffins live on Matinicus as well as Eastern Egg Rock, Seal Island and Petit Manan Island. On a recent trip to Eastern Egg Rock, located off St. George, dozens of puffins delighted tour boats as they took off in flight and dove into the water in pursuit of fish.