Around 10 miles off the coast, the barren rocks of Machias Seal Island are home to a colony of so-awkward-they're-cute Atlantic puffins, plus plenty more seabirds. The tiny, foggy and entirely uninhabitable island is also the subject of the sole remaining land dispute between the US and Canada – both countries claim ownership of Machias Seal Island and the nearby outcropping of North Rock.
The dispute, which goes back to the 1700s, is of little interest to anyone other than the handful of puffin tour operators on both sides of the border. From the town of Cutler, about 13 miles from East Machias, you can join an in-demand bird-watching boat tour with Bold Coast Charter.
