Matinicus Rock, Maine, USA; June-August 2006

Eyes scanning over the suggested packing list, I stopped short halfway down the page.

“S*** shirt? What’s that for?”

On a tiny island off the coast of Maine – a rock, basically, jutting from the cold Atlantic – swarmed by tens of thousands of seabirds, bird poop literally rains from the sky. A sacrificial longsleeve, dedicated never to be used again, is required to absorb the deluge. Moreover, a hat must be worn at all times with an attached stick jutting skyward to deflect the blows of sharp-beaked terns, which attack the highest point on any intruder.

It’s not a setting for someone who’s seen too much Hitchcock. For the rest of us, though, Matinicus Rock is off the hook, and living in its lighthouse highlighted my summer. Not many people ever experience puffins at such close range, and that’s just as it should be.

You can learn more about Project Puffin on their dedicated website.