![]() Whale-watching tours ($65) are scheduled July-September. One of the finest, most well-established sightseeing outfits in town is Sea Watch Tours (North Head, 506/662-8552), which runs tour boats ($115 for a six-hour trip) to Machias Seal Island late June-early August. Space is limited and is always in demand on the following tours, so make reservations. Andrews, Grand Manan is where serious nature lovers base themselves. While you can take whale- and bird-watching trips from St. Boat tours, restricted to a limited number of passengers, depart Grand Manan to see the archipelago’s highest concentration of exotic bird species, including razorbill auks, arctic terns, and 900 pairs of nesting Atlantic puffins. Another incredible place for bird-watching is Machias Seal Island, the outermost bird sanctuary island. A great way to see the birds is by hiking one of the 18 trails (totaling 70 kilometers) that crisscross the headland. The eider, storm petrel, and Atlantic puffin prefer offshore islets.īird populations are thickest from early April through June and late summer to autumn. Expect to see bald eagles and other raptors on the southern cliffs from mid-August through November. Ducks and geese by the thousands inhabit the Anchorage Beach area, where a wet-heath bird sanctuary is speckled with ponds that attract may other species, including great blue herons. Seabirds and waterfowl nest at the Castalia Marsh on the island’s eastern side. Bird-Watching on Grand Manan Islandīirds of almost 350 species flutter everywhere in season, and each species has a place on this rock in the sea. 900 pairs of nesting Atlantic puffins reside on nearby Machias Seal Island. Whales in pursuit of herring schools swim in on incoming currents, cavorting in the tempestuous seas-the right, finback, humpback, and minke whales are at their most numerous when the plankton blooms, mid-July through September. Offshore, every species of marine life known to the Bay of Fundy congregates in the bay’s nutrient-rich mouth. Dulse, a nutritious purple seaweed rich in iodine and iron, washes in at Dark Harbour on the western coast, and islanders dry and package the briny snack for worldwide consumption. Amethyst and agate are mixed with pebbles on the beaches at Whale Cove, Red Point, and White Head Island offshore. Windswept spruce, fir, and birch shade the woodland pockets. White, pink, and purple lupines and dusty pink wild roses nod with the summer breezes. ![]() Illuminating the sea lanes and warning ships off the island’s shoals since 1860, Swallowtail and its surrounding grassy headland provide a wonderful introduction to the island.Īpart from the surging tide, Grand Manan is blissfully peaceful. The most photogenic of the island’s four lighthouses is Swallowtail Lighthouse, which can be seen atop North Head as you approach the island by ferry. Near the island, shipwrecks litter the seafloor and pay homage to the tide’s merciless power. Pity the centuries of ships that have been caught in the currents during malevolent storms. 2,700) gets the brunt of the mighty Fundy high tide.
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