It is a low, treeless rock island. There is a light maintained by Canada and during the summer nesting season there is a Canadian Wildlife person to help protect the birds. There are over 3,000 puffins in the MSI colony. It is the largest puffin colony in the Gulf of Maine and has been in existence for thousands of years. Many scientists believe that MSI is the southernmost extent of the natural puffin habitat.
Puffins favor the cold herring-rich waters of the North Atlantic.
It's possible to land on MSI to view the puffins more closely from one of the blinds that have been set up on the island. Permits are required and not always available. This is the ONLY puffin colony island that permits landings. The Puffins arrive back on Machias Seal Island sometime in April or May every year. We start the puffin watch season around Memorial Day and continue until the 1st of September.