Atlantic Puffins off of RI, (way off!!)

So, the last trip out on the boat was an eventful one. For most of the winter we concentrate our efforts closer in to shore to target Rock Crabs as our quarry. However, we still have 700 pots in the deepwater near the boat's normal lobstering grounds on Hudson's Canyon. Hudson's Canyon is the remnant outflow of the Hudson River and lies due south from the RI coastline about 100 miles. We haven't checked those lobster pots since the end of November or December as there just aren't enough lobsters around to make the trip all the way down there. Once in a while though we have to go down and make sure everything is still there. The weather can really take its toll on the gear, and it's not uncommon for whole trawls to just disappear. At $100 bucks a pot, and not to mention the mile of rope involved in each trawl that adds up to a lot of money.

So, this last trip we made the long steam to the south. Since there are few lobsters, hauling the gear is a lot easier than when we are working in the crab grounds, so we rotate with everyone getting a trawl off to rest. My trawl off happened to be at sunrise, after having started work at 0300, and there was not a puff of wind in the air. It was gorgeous and I went up on the bow to try and get a photo or two of the many Dovekies that were around. To my surprise and excitement the first bird on the bow happened to be an Atlantic Puffin, and I got to see a few more mixed in with the literally hundreds of Dovekies on the calm sea.
This photo is cropped in as the bird was pretty far away, but you can still see the sweet Puffin bill!!

I then got this photo of two Dovekies taking flight. With their wings made for swimming under water it takes them a lot of flapping and a little extra time to get off the water. Then, it was back to work!