Continuing the Adventures

West Quoddy Light Station Viewed from Liberty Point

We left the motel at 4 AM to travel onto Campobello Island and went to Liberty Point, which is the southern most tip of the island, to photograph the sunrise.  However, nature was against us, and we had fog.  But, there was still a lot to photograph.  Across Lubec channel, the candy striped West Quoddy light station could be visualized through the fog.  A portion of a cliff, rock face was made up of a rhyolite dike of iron pyrite which gave it a reddish color.  Looking at the scene, I decided I I saw the water flowing over the rocks and decided to photograph the scene with a slow shutter speed to blur the water.  Exposing the scene, so my histogram was to the right without touching the right edge and when I looked at the picture on my computer, I decided to utilize Topaz Impressions and convert the picture as a watercolor.

Rhyolite Dike and Water

Harebells

Beachhead Iris

Because Liberty Point gets a lot of fog and salt air, which cause the trees to lose their leaves/needles and turning the trunks and limbs white.

Trees

We next drove down to Con Robinson Point, and as we were slowly driving in I noticed a snowshoe hare feeding in the grass.  Stop the cars, the participants got slowly out and were able to to photograph the very cooperative hare.

Snowshoe Hare

The Path at Con Robinson Point

In the afternoon, we was supposed to go on a whale watch.  It was canceled supposedly due to high winds and thunderstorms (never occurred).  So after lunch we drove down to Truscott Maine, where on the side of the road, there was an old house and then front of the house was a large stand of Fireweed.  This presented many different opportunities for photographs.  We finished the day down at Beal Island, which contains the lobstering fishing village of Beals.  I also spent some time talking with Merle Beal, who was a lobstermen all his life.  Despite a slight drizzle and clouds, everybody had a good time.

Old House with Fireweed and Lupines with Seed Heads

Lobster Traps

Lobstering Equipment

Lobster Trap

Merle Beal

Next morning, we left again for Cutler for a second trip to Machias Seal Island.  I have to give you some information about Machias Seal Island.  The island is about 10 miles southeast from Cutler Maine and the sovereignty of the island is disputed.  Both United States and Canada claim the island.  Ambiguities in the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary war along with the Treaty of Ghent in 1814 left Machias Seal Island in a gray zone.  The Canadians to maintain their interest in the island keep the lighthouse manned.  In fact, it is the only manned lighthouse on the Atlantic coast of Canada.  The island is also a sanctuary for seabirds and the Canadian wildlife service administers the refuge.  The number of visitors daily to the island is limited.

We traveled out on a calm sea and in the fog to Machias, where after we landed, the fog cleared and presented great light for photography.  We changed which set of blinds, we utilized to give everybody a different perspective from the first day.  Besides the Atlantic puffins and razorbills, the blind that I was in also had a large number of common murres around it.

Lighthouse Keeper

Machias Light in the Fog

Northern Gannet

Northern Gannet, Razorbills and Common Murres

Atlantic Puffin Landing

Photographing in the Blind

Arctic Tern

Common Murres

Razorbills and Common Murre

Common Murre Landing with a Fish in Its Mouth

Atlantic Puffins

On leaving the island, the fog returned and we traveled first around the island and then to not rock to photograph the seals in the fog.

Gray Seals

After returning back to Cutler, we went to the motel where we rested until suppertime and then travel to West Quoddy light for sunset.  Again, it was very foggy, so that was no sunset.  We were able, after it got dark, to photograph the light beams coming from the lighthouse.  We also had a pair of visitors, two American porcupines.  So ended another great day in Down East Maine

West Quoddy Light and the Flags Whipping in the Wind

West Quoddy Light Beams Shining through the Fog

American Porcupine

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