Welcome to Maine—the Puffin State for the purposes of this unforgettable journey! This summer birding adventure combines the best of coastal New England charm with fun wildlife encounters, all set against the backdrop of scenic harbors, wild saltmarshes, and the legendary Bold Coast. From rare sparrows in the expansive Scarborough Marsh to nesting Piping Plovers along protected beaches, we immerse ourselves in rich coastal habitats where birds and biodiversity abound. The trip builds to a crescendo with an extraordinary opportunity: visiting the seabird spectacle of Machias Seal Island, where Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, and murres nest in dazzling numbers—close enough to hear their wingbeats and watch their quirky antics from just feet away.

Our journey takes us from Portland’s vibrant shoreline to the quiet beauty of Downeast Maine, with stops at preserves, boardwalk bogs, and historic lighthouses along the way. With a strong conservation focus and expert guiding throughout, this tour offers not only amazing bird sightings but also deeper insight into the ecological richness of Maine’s coast. From the hush of boreal forests echoing with warblers and thrushes to the bracing sea air filled with the cries of gulls and terns, every day promises new discoveries and memorable moments—culminating in a puffin encounter every birder dreams of.

Tour Highlights

• Visit 3000 acre Scarborough Marsh for endangered Saltmarsh Sparrow
• Explore the grasslands of Kennebunk Plains, a Nature Conservancy Preserve
• Stop at the Project Puffin Visitor Center and learn about their efforts to bring nesting alcids back to Maine
• Embark on a Puffin boat cruise to Machias Seal Island, with the opportunity to make landfall and tuck into blinds
• Walk the one-mile trail to Quoddy Head State Park and Lighthouse to look out over the Quoddy Channel to Canada
• Stop in Orono Bog Boardwalk in Maine to learn more about peat bogs

Trip Itinerary

Itineraries are guidelines; variations in itinerary may occur to account for weather, road conditions, closures, etc. and to maximize your experience.

Mon., June 8   Arrivals in Portland, Maine

Welcome to the Vacation State or, for our purposes, the Puffin State. Please plan to arrive no later than 1:00 PM to get settled at the hotel and leave enough time for an afternoon outing to Scarborough Marsh, the largest salt marsh in the state of Maine and a terrific place to kick off our birding. This 3000-acre estuary is the ideal habitat for two very unique sparrows. The endangered Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrow both overlap here, and can both be found side by side in this marsh. The stroll along the path, through the marsh and into the woods, is the perfect start to a great week of birding coastal Maine; plentiful shorebirds and waders rely on the rich ecosystem here. 
Accommodations at Portland Embassy Suites (D) 

Tues., June 9      Kennebunk Plains | Coastal Birding | Scarborough 

We enjoy breakfast at the hotel before heading out for a full day in the field. First up is Kennebunk Plains Preserve, owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). At only 135 acres, this small preserve packs a big punch. Preserving native grasslands, TNC protects vital habitat for Grasshopper Sparrow, Upland Sandpiper, and Eastern Meadowlark. We can keep our eyes peeled for sleek Black Racer; this preserve is one of only two places in Maine that hosts a population of this interesting snake. Similar to the prairies of the Great Plains, TNC manages Kennebunk Plains through planned burns. 

Once we are finished exploring the plains, we turn our focus to the coast. There are numerous coastal wildlife refuges to explore, and we look for the one with the most recent activity and a good mix of habitats to best understand Maine’s coastal ecology. One of our main focuses is trying to find nesting Piping Plover and Least Tern; your guide has their eyes and ears on the local reports and we go searching where the activity has been lately. The Piping Plover is a threatened species and the state of Maine does a lot of important work to protect the nesting beaches. From a distance we hope to see these adorable plovers without disturbing them as they scurry around the beach.

We stop for lunch in the historic mill town of Biddeford, fast becoming the foodie hub of Maine. Dine at one of our favorite places along the Saco River before making our way back toward Portland. Yesterday’s outing just scraped the surface of what Scarborough Marsh has to offer, so we may return here or visit some other fascinating coastal habitats before the day is over. On our radar, we still have Roseate Tern; this New and Old World bird breeds in the area, and we are on the lookout for them, showcasing why Scarborough Marsh is one of the most important coastal regions in Maine.  

Dinner tonight is at a favorite local restaurant where we can indulge in some of that fresh Maine seafood and other local specialties. Over dinner, we discuss our plans for tomorrow, when we have our first chance at puffins!
Accommodations at the Portland Embassy Suites (B,L,D) 

Wed., June 10     Birding the Coast to Machias

We start our journey north after breakfast at the hotel. Travel up the scenic Bold Coast to Machias, our home for the next three nights. We make several stops along the way to break up the four-hour drive. Weskeag Marsh Preserve is our first highlight destination. This important wetland site consists of all three marsh types—fresh, brackish, and salt water—offering a great amount of diversity. While we stretch our legs, we are on the lookout for egrets, herons, and flycatchers, for additional chances of Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrows, and maybe even a Prairie Warbler. 

Back on the road, we don’t have far to travel before we get to the town of Rockland. This is a special place because it's home to the Project Puffin Visitors Center. Without Project Puffin, this trip would not even be possible, as they are the ones that brought puffin and other seabird breeding back to the islands off the coast of Maine. We can learn about Dr. Kress and his efforts that started in the 1970s to bring these magical birds back to Maine. This is also be a great place to pick up a little puffin souvenir as a benefit to conservation and a treasured memory of our time with puffins.

After lunch in Rockland, we continue on towards Machias, passing over the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory. Here we make a quick stop to head up into the observation area, putting us in the highest building in Maine (42 stories!—don’t worry, we ride Maine’s fastest elevator to the top) with terrific views of this interesting bridge and the surrounding landscape. Once we descend back down, we are off to Machias for check-in, some downtime, and breakfast shopping. Tomorrow is a big day!
Accommodations at Machias River Inn (B,L,D)      

Thurs., June 11      Machias Seal Island | Puffin Outing

*The boat and blind tour are never guaranteed. This is a HIGHLY weather-dependent activity since we take a larger boat out to the island then transfer to a small skiff to potentially make landfall. We have two days of blinds booked in case we miss the first day. 

Today is the day we have all waited for! We have an in-room breakfast this morning since we may need to depart as early as 6:00 AM, depending on the tides and weather forecast (our captain determines our start time a day or two before hand). Then it's off to the picturesque fishing village of Cutler, about 30 minutes from the hotel. Here, we board the boat bound for Machias Seal Island and the puffin blinds. The ride out is about one hour. Then, if conditions are right, we transfer into the skiff and make landfall. This is where the magic happens! About 20 minutes before we arrive at the island, we start seeing Atlantic Puffin and Razorbill slowly grow in numbers as we approach. 

Once we make landfall, we are treated to an alcid paradise. As we depart the skiff, we walk along a concrete landing lined with puffins, grab our “tern stick,” and make our way to the helipad. The “tern stick” is to keep the nesting Arctic Terns from dive-bombing our heads as we walk past their breeding grounds. At the helipad, we get the rundown of how things work and then are assigned our blinds. After being ushered to our blinds, we are shut in, then we have the next 1-1.5 hours to spend in pure joy amongst the puffins, razorbills, and murres. They are so close, you could almost reach out of the blind and touch them. As you take in this marvel of island-nesting birds, the smile never leaves your face. Hearing the pitter-patter of puffins chasing each other on the roof of the blind is one of the most joyous experiences in birding. 

Our time in the blinds feels like it’s are over in a flash, but we will forever remember this day. As we board the ship, we say goodbye to the Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Common Murres, and maybe even a Northern Gannet or two, with one more lap around the island. Before we know it, we are off the boat and headed back to Machias for a late lunch, and then some downtime. 

It’s hard to put into words really how special a day in the puffin blind is at Machias Seal Island, and every birder should experience it once in their lives. The caveat is that this is a very weather- and water conditions-dependent journey. The captain does everything in his power to safely get us on the island, but there is no way to guarantee this happens even 24 hours out. The reward, though, is much greater than the risk of not making landfall. We have other plans in place to see puffins if this outing gets cancelled, but we only have one shot at the blinds per trip. 
Accommodations at Machias River Inn (B,L,D)      

Fri., June 12       Machias Seal Island Exploration

Since we are here in Machias, we are going to take full advantage of being this far north. The morning starts with a drive out to Boot Head Trail. Here, we can make the hike out to a local bog, walking the boardwalk looking for carnivorous plants. This Sphagnum-floored forest transports us into what feels like a different world, as we creep slowly through this upland forest, quietly looking for Spruce Grouse and Winter Wren. 

Once finished at Boot Head we continue northeast, as far northeast as you can go on the mainland of the United States! Quoddy Head State Park and Lighthouse is the literal end of the road in the U.S. Here we take in the sites, enjoy this historical lighthouse, and scan the waters for Black Guillemot and Common Eider, and possible Humpback and Minke Whales. From the lighthouse, we can look over the Quoddy Channel to Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick. The lighthouse was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson and was originally built in 1808. The current lighthouse was rebuilt in 1858, and housed a lightkeeper until 1988. A gentle, one-mile trail takes us to a rare coastal plateau bog (heath) with sub-arctic and arctic plants not often seen this far south. Shrubs include black crowberry, baked appleberry and Labrador tea, and we look for special carnivorous plants like sundew and pitcher plants.

Lunch is in the border town of Lubec, overlooking the bay—perhaps fresh seafood again? From there, we head slightly inland to the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge’s 30,000 acres are home to Ruffed Grouse, Black-throated Green Warbler, and Red-breasted Nuthatch, amongst some 250 species found here. Also of note, the refuge is home to 11 different species of mammals, including numerous bat species, and also River Otter, Canadian Linx, Bobcat, Black Bear, and even Northern Bog Lemming! 

We make our way back to the hotel for time to pack, and share a fun local dinner together in Machias. 
Accommodations at Machias River Inn (B,L,D)       

Sat., June 13       Travel to Portland

We say goodbye to Machias and make our way back to Portland. We take a different route that we used to drive north so we can enjoy different stops along the way. We stop in Bangor, and take the opportunity to explore a few more birding hotspots. A local favorite, the Orono Bog Boardwalk, is another one of Maine’s famous peat bogs. It’s estimated that Maine has as much as 750,000 acres of peat bog; it’s fascinating to visit one more of these natural phenomena and learn more about how bogs are formed and what life forms are thriving here. We are on the look out for birds such as Northern Harrier, or even the occasional American Bittern. With one last stroll amongst the carnivorous plants, it's time to head on down the road. 

On the horizon, we have lunch and Loons to attend to. A stop in Belgrade for lunch and a scan of the local lake should produce a few Common Loons, if we have not seen any by this point in the tour. It also gives us a chance to get out of the vans and stretch our legs before our final jaunt to Portland for the evening. The local lakes here can also be a good for finding nesting Bald Eagle, as well as Wood Duck. Breeding Sandhill Crane have also been known to frequent the area. 

From this point, we continue south toward Portland for our last night of the tour. We can play it by ear, and gauge the group on whether or not we make any more stops, possibly at a local park in Portland. Then, it’s on to the hotel, followed by our farewell celebratory dinner. Share favorite birds and moments with fellow travelers as we wrap up a great week in Maine. 
Accommodations at the Portland Embassy Suites (B,L,D)

Sun., June 14       Departures

Depart at your leisure today. Your guide will offer rides to the airport up until Noon. Otherwise, a shuttle is available at the hotel. (B)

Cost of the Journey

The cost of this journey is $4690 DBL / $5790 SGL, from Portland, Maine. This cost is based on double occupancy and includes all accommodations; meals as specified in the itinerary, professional guide services, local park and other area entrance fees, and miscellaneous program expenses.

The cost does not include transportation to or from your home to Portland or items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone charges, porterage, maid gratuities, or beverages from the bar.

Travel Details

Please plan to make air travel plans only after the minimum group size has been met. We will send you a confirmation email as soon as the trip has been confirmed.

Arrival and Departure Airport: Portland International Jetport (PWM)

Arrival Details: Please plan to arrive June 8, 2026, no later than 1:00 PM

Departure Details: Please plan to depart June 14, 2026, at your leisure. 

Travel Tip: You may wish to arrive a day early and rest up from your travels. You can book an early night at our first night hotel, Regency Hotel & Spa. The hotel is located right in the Old Port, with many restaurants and shops nearby. If you’d like to explore a bit, there are many interesting things to do in Portland. Portland Head Light, a historic lighthouse that is the most photographed in America, is a popular and scenic spot to visit that also has a museum. The Victoria Mansion is an Italianate villa known for its architectural significance and well-preserved lavish interior that can be toured. And if you’re into art, The Portland Museum of Art is a fascinating place to visit and has over 18,000 works of art including pieces from Andy Warhol and Claude Monet. All of these attractions are located within 20 minutes of the airport and can be reached via taxi, Uber, or rental car.

Items of Note

The boat and blind tour are never guaranteed. This is a highly weather-dependent activity since we take a larger boat out to the island then transfer to a small skiff to potentially make landfall. We have two days of blinds booked in case we miss the first day.

Browse below for trip reports and species lists from past versions of this and other tours from this destination.

Essential Information +