Eastern Egg Rock Island facts for kids
Puffins on the island
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Muscongus Bay, Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 43°51′38″N 69°22′55″W / 43.8606389°N 69.3819911°W |
| Area | 0.011 sq mi (0.028 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
| Administration | |
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United States
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| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
| Additional information | |
| Visited by biologists and tourists | |
Eastern Egg Rock Island is a small island in Maine, a state in the United States. It's owned by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW). This island is special because it's a key place for a project called Project Puffin. This project helps bring seabirds, especially Atlantic puffins, back to the southern Maine coast.
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Where is Eastern Egg Rock?
Eastern Egg Rock is located in Muscongus Bay, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 6 miles (10 km) away from Pemaquid Point. The island is quite small, only about 7 acres (2.8 hectares) in size. It doesn't have any trees.
Project Puffin: Helping Seabirds Return
In 1973, a scientist named Stephen W. Kress started Project Puffin. He worked with the Audubon Society to bring seabirds back to southern Maine. For many years, puffins and other seabirds had stopped nesting on islands like Eastern Egg Rock. In fact, puffins hadn't been seen on this island since 1885.
How Did Project Puffin Work?
Project Puffin brought young Atlantic puffins from Newfoundland to Eastern Egg Rock. They also brought terns, which are another type of seabird. Biologists from different countries joined the effort. They used clever methods to encourage the birds to stay. For example, they played recordings of puffin calls to make the island sound like a busy puffin colony. They also worked to control animals that might hunt the birds.
Success for Puffins and Terns
The techniques used by Project Puffin were very successful. Stephen Kress even wrote a children's book about how well the project worked. By 2004, a large number of roseate terns, about 69 percent of all those in Maine, were nesting on the island. The biologists helped by providing fish for the birds.
Today, Eastern Egg Rock is the southernmost place where puffins live and raise their young in North America. To keep the birds safe, people are not allowed to visit the island during the breeding season. This season runs from April through August each year.
