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Travelogue: Grand Manan |
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The twelve intrepid birders
arrived on Grand Manan one day before Hurricane Hanna arrived on
the island, and still racked up 81 species in two days. To be fair,
Hanna was no longer a hurricane by the time the torrential rains
arrived, and most of the downpours fell overnight while we slept
soundly in the Manan Island Inn. But fog, drizzle, and breezes bedeviled
the tour led by Bob and Sandi Duchesne under the auspices of the
Penobscot Valley Chapter of Maine Audubon. The trip's first birds were scored while the group assembled for the van ride at Fields Pond Audubon Center, including a Pileated Woodpecker. The subsequent dash to New Brunswick was sunny and without incident, except for an unusually slow border crossing. With no time to stop at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, we noted the Bald Eagle on his usual platform and the abundant waterfowl in the marsh, and pledged to spend more time there on the return trip. There is no bad time to be on Grand Manan. Ever. The 15-mile long island is incredibly scenic in all conditions except fog...which it gets a lot of in summer. Swallowtail Light (left) is one of the most photographed lighthouses in all of Canada. Although the island is part of New Brunswick, it sits just a few miles off the coast of Maine. The only access is by ferry from Black's Harbour in New Brunswick. It takes the ferry 90 minutes to cross the channel, which just happens to be one of the best places for pelagic birding on the east coast. Through much of the summer, Northern Gannets are a likely species. Their numbers build from late summer through autumn and sightings are commonplace. Harbor porpoises and white-sided dolphins are seen on virtually every trip and whales occur regularly during the passage, primarily humpback and minke, but occasionally right whales are possible. From late July into September, shearwaters are abundant. Greater Shearwaters can number in the thousands. Sooty Shearwaters are equally abundant on some days, and Manx Shearwaters can sometimes be picked out of the crowd. Alcids are always in the channel and fleeting views of Razorbills and Common Murres are expected. Atlantic Puffins and Dovekies are more unusual, since the puffins are more common on the far side of Grand Manan near their breeding colony on Machias Seal Island. Dovekies are limited to post-breeding dispersal and migration. Red-necked Phalaropes are typically present in small numbers. Storm forecasts cancelled a planned pelagic trip on Saturday on board Whales-n-Sails, but alternatives are easy to come by on Grand Manan, and the group boarded the free ferry to White Head Island instead. Pelagic birds are not normally found in this channel, but perhaps the birds were not aware in the fog of how close they were to land. The group scored many Black Guillemots, four Razorbills, several Northern Gannets, and the trip's first Black-legged Kittiwake during the short passage. Land birds and shorebirds were easy to find. Foraging flocks of passerines gave the group multiple opportunities to study their "confusing fall warblers." Though heavy rains were reported in the Atlantic just south of Grand Manan, it spared the island for all of Saturday. A wet fog was the only plague of the day, so the group enjoyed an extensive opportunity to visit Anchorage Provincial Park, where the numbers of Ring-necked Ducks and American Widgeons were building steadily. |
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| Shorebird numbers at Castalia Marsh were reasonable. Despite
the marauding presence of two Peregrine Falcons, the Semipalmated,
Least, and White-rumped Sandpipers were not particularly nervous
during this trip and it was easy to separate the species at close
range. Many Semi-palmated Plovers and Sanderlings were also present,
but we got skunked on finding the Short-billed Dowitchers that usually
forage the mudflats. Greater Yellowlegs were easy to see in the
marsh, but we didn't find any Lesser Yellowlegs until we spotted
them in Woodward's Cove the next day. Every year, it seems that
a family of Red-breasted Mergansers breeds in the same spot and,
sure enough, they were there again this year. A fun group of birders makes for a fun trip in any conditions. On Saturday evening, Bob and Sandi served up a feast of homemade chili and shrimp scampi, supported by ample quantities of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and laughter. Conveniently, Hurricane Hanna passed through overnight. The deluge continued through breakfast and a visit to spooky Dark Harbor, but dwindled to mist by the time we reached Southwest Head. These 400 foot cliffs were on the leeward side of the remaining breeze, so we were able to enjoy distant views of Northern Gannets, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and Razorbills cavorting in the quieting surf. The sun was out by the time we boarded the ferry for the return to the mainland. More good birds and sea life made the passage too short. This time the border crossing was quick and we had extra time to spend at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge on the way home. We pulled into Fields Pond Audubon Center at 5:58pm - two minutes ahead of schedule - with 81 species on the official tally for the weekend. |