Piping Plover by Michael McKee.
BAY OF FUNDY and
GRAND MANAN
- The best place in the world to see Northern Right Whales
- Along with Fin and Humpback Whales
- Large numbers of seabirds, including Great Shearwaters and Wilson's Storm Petrels
- Hundreds of thousands of migrating Semipalmated Sandpipers, with smaller numbers of other shorebirds
- And landbird migrants too, including up to 20 species of warbler
- As well as some of North America's and the world's other most spectacular birds including Bald Eagle, Blue Jay and Piping Plover
- Most organized tours concentrate on looking for whales and seabirds in the Bay of Fundy, as well as migrating landbirds on the island of Grand Manan, but such tours do not usually last two weeks, so if more time is available it may be worth considering also visiting Quebec to the north where there is a good chance of Beluga, Blue, Fin, Humpback and Minke Whales by boat, zodiac and kayak where the Saguenay Fjord meets the St Lawrence out of the town of Tadoussac from mid-June to September, especially mid-September for Blue Whale. Also possible are Black Bear (from vehicles and hides in Laurentides Wildlife Reserve), Moose (in Matane Wildlife Reserve) and (Woodland) Caribou on the Gaspe Peninsula/Gaspesie National Park where there is also a colony of nearly 50,000 pairs of Northern Gannets, possibly the largest on Earth, on Bonaventure Island. Other birds possible include Bald Eagle, Ruffed and Spruce Grouse, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, warblers, and Evening and Pine Grosbeaks.
- Or nearby Newfoundland where the largest northern summer numbers of Humpback Whales in the world gather from June to September and the huge seabird colonies include two million birds in Witless Bay alone (where there are over half a million Puffins on Great Island, the largest colony in North America). Seabird numbers usually begin to fall by late July so the first two weeks of July are probably the peak time to visit Newfoundland.
- This account concerns the August-September period. Earlier during the northern summer, especially before mid-June, the rare Bicknell's Thrush may be found on Nova Scotia, in and north of Cape Breton Highlands National Park where Moose, Bobcat and Canadian Lynx also occur. Farther south are Piping Plovers and the woods in the Liscombe Lodge area support Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Evening Grosbeak, and Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Canada and Magnolia Warblers. On Machias Seal Island there is an Atlantic Puffin breeding colony.
Best Birds and other wildlife in the Bay of Fundy, Eastern Canada
Mammals
Northern Right, Fin, Humpback and (Northern) Minke Whales (all mostly Aug-Sep), Harbour Porpoise, and Grey
and Common (Harbour) Seals. Also a chance of Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, Moose, North American Porcupine, American Beaver, Muskrat and Harp
Seal.
Birds
Many of the species listed are passage migrants, moving
through the area mainly in August and September. Great Shearwater, Bald Eagle, Blue Jay, Atlantic Puffin,
Cedar Waxwing, Wood Duck and Piping Plover (mostly Apr-Aug), as well as Spruce Grouse, Sooty Shearwater,
Wilson's Storm Petrel, Northern Gannet, migrating raptors (mostly Broad-winged and Red-tailed Hawks), migrating shorebirds
including Hudsonian Godwit, Semipalmated Sandpiper (usually mostly early August when over 100,000 have
been recorded at Mary's Point, Shepody NWA), Short-billed Dowitcher, and Grey and Red-necked Phalaropes,
(Black-legged) Kittiwake, Arctic Tern, Black Guillemot, Common Nighthawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Belted Kingfisher, Grey Jay, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, migrating warblers including
Northern Parula, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat and Yellow, Magnolia, Black-throated Green,
Black-and-white and Blackpoll Warblers, Northern Cardinal, Two-barred Crossbill and Nelson's Sparrow.
Also a chance of Manx Shearwater, Leach's Storm Petrel, Razorbill, Pileated Woodpecker and Pine
Grosbeak.
Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish
A chance of Basking Shark.
Invertebrates
Migrating Monarch butterflies.
Other Natural Wonders of Eastern Canada
Bay of Fundy This huge bay has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world. At the head of the bay tides may rise 16 m (53 ft) (the record is 17 m (56 ft)) and in some places in the bay recede as much as 5 km (3 miles).
Autumn (Fall) Colours The spectacular show of leaves changing colour is usually at its best during the first half of October.
Best Sites for Birds and other wildlife in the Bay of Fundy, Eastern Canada
- Mainland New Brunswick
- Fundy NP Grey Jay and Boreal Chickadee. Also a chance of Moose, American Beaver and Pine Grosbeak.
- Shepody NWA, including Mary's Point Huge numbers of migrating Semipalmated Sandpipers.
- Kouchibouguac NP Piping Plover, Hudsonian Godwit and Nelson's Sparrow.
- Bouctouche area Wood Duck, Piping Plover and Nelson's Sparrow.
- Johnson's Mills Shorebird Reserve Huge numbers of migrating Semipalmated Sandpipers.
- Bay of Fundy
- At Sea (Boat trips run from places such as Tiverton on Nova Scotia) Northern Right, Fin and (Northern) Minke Whales, Great Shearwater and Atlantic Puffin, as well as Sooty Shearwater, Wilson's Storm Petrel, Northern Gannet, Grey and Red-necked Phalaropes, (Black-legged) Kittiwake, Arctic Tern and Black Guillemot. Also a chance of Humpback Whale, Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, Basking Shark, Manx Shearwater, Leach's Storm Petrel, Pomarine Skua and Razorbill.
- Grand Manan Island Base for boat trips in search of whales and seabirds, as well as a hotspot for migrating birds. Bald Eagle, Blue Jay, Cedar Waxwing, Common Nighthawk, Red-breasted Nuthatch, migrating warblers, Northern Cardinal and Two-barred Crossbill.
- Brier Island Migrating birds.
- Nova Scotia
- Kejimkujik NP Spruce Grouse and Grey Jay. Also a chance of North American Porcupine, American Beaver and Pileated Woodpecker.
- Bon Portage Island Migrating birds.
- Cape Sable Island Migrating birds including Hudsonian Godwit.
Best Times for Birds and other wildlife in the Bay of Fundy, Eastern Canada
Most whales are usually present from mid-June to mid-October, mainly in August and September, with peak numbers and activity usually during the first half of August, the same time the numbers of Semipalmated Sandpipers usually peak. The greatest diversity of migrating birds usually occurs between mid-August and mid-September, especially mid-August in the case of shorebirds and the first half of September in the case of landbirds, notably warblers. The numbers of migrating Monarch butterflies usually peak in mid-September.
Recommended Bird Books etc. for the Bay of Fundy, Eastern Canada
Mammals of North America by R W Kays and D E Wilson. PUP, 2009 (Second Edition).
Mammals of North America by F A Reid. Peterson North American Field Guides, 2006 (Fourth Edition).
Peterson Field Guide to Finding Mammals in North America by V Dinets. Houghton Mifflin, 2015.
Field Guide to the Birds of North America edited by J Dunn and J Alderfer. NGS, 2011 (Sixth Edition).
Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America by K Kaufman. Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
The North American Bird Guide by D Sibley. Helm, 2014 (Second Edition).
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America by R T Peterson. Houghton Mifflin, 2010 (Sixth Edition).
The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds by R Crossley. PUP, 2011.
Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America by J Brock and K Kaufman. Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Apps etc.
National Geographic Birds: Field Guide to North America.
The Sibley eGuide to the Birds of North America.
Peterson Birds of North America.
Audubon Birds - A Field Guide to North American Birds.
iBird Ultimate Guide to Birds.
Birding and Wildlife Trip Reports for the Bay of Fundy, Eastern Canada
Many trip reports, some for Eastern Canada, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to Eastern Canada. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Eastern Canada' below.
- The best website for trip reports is CloudBirders
- but these are also worth a look
- Birdtours
- Fatbirder
- Jon Hornbuckle
- Mammal Watching
Local bird and whale watching guides in the Bay of Fundy, Eastern Canada
The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.
Accommodation for birders and whale watchers in the Bay of Fundy, Eastern Canada
Some Organized Tours for birds and whale watching in the Bay of Fundy, Eastern Canada
There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.
While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.
Tour companies who run organized tours or can arrange custom tours to Eastern Canada include the following.
