Mount Desert Island is home to an incredible variety of wildlife, including bald eagles, ospreys, loons, seals, porpoises, deer, foxes, coyotes, porcupines, otters, beavers, and countless seabirds and songbirds. Many of these can be seen right from Baycliff — bald eagles and ospreys have been spotted overhead, seals and dolphins have been seen in the bay, and bald eagles have even been seen perched in our trees eating their catch. And yes, previous guests have even spotted coyotes walking along the shoreline. Keep an eye on the sky and the bay — you never know what might appear.

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🌲 Wildlife Spotting on the Trails

The forests and ponds of Mount Desert Island are great places to spot land animals.

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• Porcupines are often seen in trees or near tree trunks

• Deer, foxes, and coyotes are most often spotted at dawn or dusk

• Beavers and otters can be seen around many of the island’s ponds, including Jordan Pond

• In the fall, deer are more active, and guests sometimes spot impressive, large-antlered (big-racked) bucks

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Tip: Walk slowly and quietly, and remember to look up into the trees as well as along the trail.

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🦭🐬 How to Tell When Seals or Dolphins Are Feeding

If you know what to look (and listen) for, you can often spot feeding activity before you see the animals themselves.

 

👀 Look for or listen for “Bait Ball” activity:

• Birds circling and diving (gulls, terns, cormorants)

• “Boiling” or rippling water from tightly packed fish

• Splashes or silver flashes from schooling fish

• Seals surfacing repeatedly in one spot or dolphins moving in a steady line

• Fish jumping out of the water trying to escape

• Slapping or splashing sounds, excited bird calls, or a subtle rushing/fizzing sound from the water

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What’s happening:
Seals, dolphins, or predatory fish push schools of small fish into tight groups near the surface (called a bait ball). Birds move in from above while marine animals feed from below.