The first clip, Best
of Puffin Cam is approx. 30 minutes of the best video recorded by Audubon's three
puffin cams. Two of the puffin cams were positioned above ground
in puffin and tern nesting habitat, and the third cam was an underground
burrow cam that followed the development of a puffin chick.
All of the video was filmed
on Seal
Island National Wildlife Refuge between early July and late
August 2006. “Best of Puffin Cam” features adult
puffins interacting on a rocky puffin ledge among the wooden decoys
used to lure the birds back to the island. The video also includes
razorbills, guillemots and eiders as well as scenics of the magnificent
shoreline of this remote island. Seal Island's name was derived
from the fact that it is a favorite habitat for Harbor and Gray
Seals, and these were also filmed by the Puffin Cams.
When the puffin
cam is LIVE, it operates from 6 AM to 9 PM EDT daily. The
best times to view are mornings and early afternoons, and again
just before dark. Some puffins may linger at the island through
the afternoon, but most spend afternoons at sea. They begin returning
in late afternoon and evening and most sleep under boulders at night.
Peak numbers of birds occur in July and early August.
Seal Island is part of
the Maine
Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge. It is located 20 miles
south of Rockland, ME. The camera is scheduled to be in place each
year from late May through mid-October, but the best seasons to
watch is June through mid-August when most seabirds are nesting.
After mid-August, most seabirds will have headed back to their winter
homes on the open ocean.
Residents and visitors
to the Maine coast can see the live video on a large screen and
operate the cameras at the Project
Puffin Visitor Center, located at 311 Main Street in Rockland,
Maine.
