I’m so old I can remember when Black Friday meant going to the mall the day after Thanksgiving. Nowadays, I sit at home in my daytime pajamas with a cup of coffee and get all my Black Friday shopping done online.
Better yet, I give stuff that doesn’t even require wrapping and a bow. Three non-tangible items have become my perennial go-to gifts for each yuletide season: memberships, adventures and excuses.
The Maine Audubon memberships go to birding friends. The excuses go to my siblings. We’re all too old to want any new stuff since we’re mostly trying to declutter all our old stuff. The adventures I give go to those who I feel are truly deserving, usually myself. I’ve already got my eye on some big adventures for next year’s birding season.
Two years ago, Bar Harbor Whale Watch put together an awesome six-hour voyage that visited two puffin colonies, then crossed a big swath of ocean to reach Mt. Desert Rock, the most remote lighthouse on the entire east coast. We enjoyed whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals along the way and stopped at several lighthouses.
We did it again this past July. It sold out. Apparently, word-of-mouth got out. World-renowned whale expert Zack Klyver was one of the hosts. Less-renowned birding expert Bob Duchesne was the other. This year’s trip was even better and I don’t know how we’re going to top it next year.
Oh, wait a minute. Yes, I do. The Downeast Offshore Seabird and Lighthouse Cruise will take place on July 18, 2026.
There are five puffin islands along the Maine coast. Three are relatively easy to visit, served by multiple tour boats. Two are not. Only one Maine-based boat visits Machias Seal Island, and when reservations open, its entire season books up within minutes. The other is Matinicus Rock, 22 miles out to sea. No commercial tour boat serves that island due to its distance from shore.
I’ve visited the four other puffin islands multiple times, but I’ve only been to Matinicus Rock once. That was 20 years ago. Candidly, I was making tentative plans to travel next July, but when I was asked to co-lead with Zack again, I canceled everything and said yes immediately. No way I was going to miss an all-day trip to the two most difficult-to-reach puffin colonies, not to mention all the whales and exotic seabirds en route.
I’m telling you all this now because it sold out last year. Reservations open December 1 and early birds save $35.
Bar Harbor Whale Watch is also planning other mega-trips, including a mid-coast 19-lighthouse tour.
They also have all their normal whale watches to consider. I’d suggest giving a whale this Christmas, but they’re hard to wrap.
Since puffin trips make such good holiday gifts, consider two of my other favorite tours. Acadia Puffin Cruise docks in Steuben and visits Petit Manan multiple times a day. It’s closer to shore and thus easier for folks who get queasier. The Isle au Haut Ferry out of Stonington is the only vessel making routine trips to the large puffin colony on Seal Island. I regularly volunteer as a naturalist on that one.
Here’s another suggestion. Penobscot Valley Audubon’s annual online auction is currently underway. Headlining the list are New England Patriots tickets to the last regular-season game against Miami. Some of the aforementioned boat trips are up for grabs. Budget-friendly items include dining, gift baskets, gift certificates, bird art and more.
I’m on the auction block as well. I’m offering a half-day of guided birding, any time between now and the end of next summer. But there’s more to the story than that. What exactly is involved?
The winner is likely to opt for a spring morning when all the migrants are back and singing. It’s the best time to see the most birds. Alternatively, we could focus on finding some of the area’s more unusual birds, birds that are good at hiding. Or it could be a tutorial focused on learning the tricks and tips for easier identification.
There’s no need to wait until spring either. Winter has a lot more birding to offer than most folks expect. Local forests might reveal a Canadian finch invasion. Fallow fields might be swarming with snow buntings, perhaps under the watchful eye of a northern shrike. Any open water might host a surprising variety of waterfowl.
Or perhaps the embarrassingly unthinkable happens. I offer myself up for auction…and nobody bids.
