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Grand Manan Birds
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Grand
Manan Island and the Archipelago have been recognized as a world-class
birding area and is often recognized as one of the top ten locations in
North America. While the number of species is not necessarily
larger than any other location, a combination of land birds, shorebirds
and seabirds can be easily found in one day over a relatively small
area.
Birding
is not just a summer activity. Wintering sea ducks and seabirds,
and lingering land migrants can also be attractive to birders. In
the winter, Dovekies, for instance, can be seen from shore, and the
largest overwintering population of Razorbills can often been easily
seen from the ferry or from shore.
The
Grand Manan Archipelago drew the attention of John James Audubon who
visited in May, 1831, with the hope to find juvenile Herring Gulls and
Atlantic Puffins. Young Herring Gulls were becoming increasingly
rare as settlers gathered eggs from the nests and the Herring Gull
population dropped. Puffins colonies were being decimated when
the adults were collected and used for bait to catch fish. He was
able to find specimens of both (gulls from White Head Island and
puffins from Machias Seal Island) and used them as the basis for his
paintings. He also collected some Common Eiders for his species
paintings.
Coming to Grand Manan on the ferries is a great start to finding seabirds. While on the island, seabirds can be seen from any prominent headland, including from the three lighthouses on Grand Manan. If you are at the wilderness campground on the northern end of the island, the seabirds may also serenade you through the night if prey is close to shore. Another excellent opportunity is with the whale watch tours offered from the island. Whale watches are also pelagic seabird watches (pelagic seabirds are those birds who live their lives on the ocean, not coming to shore) on most days and seabirds, often in the thousands, can be seen on these trips, since seabirds feed on the same prey as many whales. At times, there is so much activity it is difficult to know where to look. Guides are well-versed in the seabird species.
Special tours to a nesting seabird colony (Machias Seal Island) are also available. A limited number of people are allowed on the nesting colony daily and it is truly an awe-inspiring trip being up close and personal with Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Common Murres and other nesting seabirds.
There are a number of locations on Grand Manan and White Head Island that are more productive for birds. The list below will help you locate those areas.
Over the years, certain
sites on and around the island have
proven to be consistently good spots at which to look for birds. If you have only a short time here, it is
suggested you concentrate your efforts on sites 2, 3, 6, 10, 16, 18 and
23. For more complete directions to most
of these areas, it is highly recommended that a copy of the latest
edition of
the Grand Manan Trail Guide, published by the Grand Manan Tourism
Association,
be purchased.
1.
Net Point – Pettes Cove:
Just a short walk from the ferry terminal, this is a good
place to spend
an hour while waiting for the ferry to arrive, especially in the fall
when late
migrants can be found in sunny spots around houses.
Residents have numerous bird feeders along
the way, many visible from the road. A
trail takes you along the shore from Pettes Cove to the Irving Oil
depot and
back. You can also walk to the
Swallowtail Light (3) and back if you have an hour to spare.
2.
Whale Cove and Pond: This
cove in North
Head is a favoured spot in early winter for Red-necked Grebes; Northern
Shrikes
and Rough-legged Hawks are often seen perched along the road. The best way to bird the area is to leave
your car at the Anglican Church and walk along the narrow lane to the
cove. You can cross the rocky barrier
beach with
the pond on one side, ocean on the other and walk back along the road
if you
wish or retrace your steps. Coastal
trails can also take you to Hole-in-the-Wall (4) a short hike or
Ashburton Head
(5) and the Whistle (6), half-day hikes.
3.
Swallowtail Road and
Lighthouse: From the ferry, turn
onto the Old Airport Road and then right onto Lighthouse Road, continuing down the
staircase and
across a footbridge right to the tip of the light.
Raptors and migrant passerines are often
plentiful along the way, and seabirds, seals and whales are sometimes
seen from
the lighthouse.
4.
Hole-in-the-Wall:
Old Airport Road takes you to Hole-in-the-Wall Park. The
trail to this geological formation starts
adjacent to the old east-west airstrip in Park.
A day pass is required during the summer and the staff at
the kiosk may
be able to help with recent sightings. Besides local forest birds,
Purple
Sandpiper, Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon can be seen from the shore
in the
proper seasons. Snow Buntings
occasionally feed on the old runways in late fall/winter.
The Park also offers numerous lookouts for
seabirds, whales and seals. During the
herring season you may also observe herring being removed from
stationary traps
called “weirs” which also attracts its share of Herring and
Black-backed Gulls.
5.
Ashburton Head:
Accessed from the Whistle Road, this trail runs through
an area
that was ravaged by spruce budworm in the early 1980s, as well as a
forest fire
in May 1985. Gray-cheeked Thrush has
been found in Eel Brook ravine during the breeding season and the burn
is a
good spot for Black-backed Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher and
Eastern
Bluebird.
6.
The Whistle (Long
Eddy
Point
and Lighthouse): On the
northern tip of the island, accessed via the Whistle Road, this is absolutely the
best spot on
Grand Manan to watch both land and seabirds from the same vantage point. Migratory landbirds mill about nervously here
before taking off for the mainland, and seabirds often gather in the
hundreds
to feed in the tide rips. Whales and seals are added bonuses, as is the
sunset
on clear days. Also try walking down the
power line from the top of the last hill.
7.
Eel Lake – Little Lake:
A road leads to Eel Lake off the Whistle Road and then a trail takes
you around
the lake past Little Lake and on to Indian Beach – you really need the
trail guide to
find it. This is the largest lake on the
island and most of the forest birds that nest on Grand Manan can be
found at
various points along the trail.
8.
Laborie Hill and Marsh:
An old woods road leads from just below the top of the
hill (on the
left) on the Dark Harbour Road to a beaver dam that
forms the
marsh. Northern Goshawk nests in the
area, and Broad-winged Hawk and Barred Owl can be seen.
This is one of the only spots on the island
where American Bittern and Wood Duck have nested.
9.
Dark Harbour:
This is one of the best spots to see Black-crowned
Night-Heron close-up
as they forage along the edge of the pond at dusk.
Park along the edge of the cliff and wait for
the evening thrush chorus – Gray-cheeked Thrush is a good possibility. Saw-whet Owl is as common along the road as
it is anywhere on the island.
10.
Castalia Marsh: The access to the marsh
is off Route 776 in Castalia.
More than 40 species of shorebirds have been identified here, making it
a must
for visiting birders. Set up your scope
near the picnic shelters at high tide and spend a leisurely hour or two
scanning the flocks. Check the
rosebushes for skulking sparrows and the shore and marsh grasses for
larks,
buntings, pipits, meadowlarks, etc. More
than 225 species of birds have been recorded in the area, the most
popular
birding spot on the island. Shorebird
activity has declined markedly in recent years.
11.
Ducks Unlimited Marsh:
Constructed in 1990, the marsh holds obvious promise. The
access road (Crabbe Road) is off Bancroft Road which takes you to the
airport from Hill Road.
Hill Road is accessible from
Castalia or Grand Harbour.
The airport is good for foraging raptors and birds that
prefer open
country.
12.
Fishers Pond:
Just to the left of the salmon feed plant along the outer
beach in
Woodwards Cove near the wharf, the pond and its margins often turn up
species
such as Green-backed Heron, Virginia Rail, Snowy Egret, Solitary
Sandpiper,
Long-eared Owl and various waterfowl, despite the cluttered look of the
area.
13.
The Thoroughfare:
Two side roads dead-end at the Thoroughfare.
From Woodwards Cove, Shore Road leads you to a number of
lobster
pounds (large wooden fenced structures built in the intertidal zone to
hold
lobsters) and a view of the ocean between Nantucket Island and the shore which
sometimes holds
a good variety of ducks, grebes and loons in early winter.
From Grand Harbour, the Thoroughfare Road also takes you to lobster
pounds and
a trail to Ross Island (accessible only three
hours before
and after low water). The upper part of Grand Harbour holds thousands of Brant
in the
spring as well as a flock of Greater Scaup and lots of Common Goldeneye.
14.
Grand Harbour:
As its name suggests, this is the largest protected
harbour on the
island and is fairly shallow, no more than 7-10 m (20-30 feet) at high
tide in
most places. Vantage points are found on
the Thoroughfare and Ingalls Head Roads as well as Route 776 and Ross Island. A scope is needed to
view the many
waterbirds that use the harbour in the fall through early spring, such
as Black
Duck, Horned Grebe, Common Loon, Long-tailed Duck, Common Goldeneye,
Greater
Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Eider, Mallard, Canada Goose and Brant.
15.
Ingalls Head – Ox Head:
The alders around the power plant can be a good spot for
passerines in
the fall, and the road to Ox Head (Brownville Road off Ingalls Head Road) passes through a bog
that is a
dependable area to find Blackpoll Warbler and Rusty Blackbird on the
main
island. Ox Head is often good for open
country raptors and provides a vantage point to scan the waters for
Bufflehead,
Red-necked Grebes, Black Ducks, cormorants, terns and scoters. Check the beach for Sanderling and other
shorebirds.
16.
White
Head
Island:
The car ferry from Ingalls Head to the island is free. Walk from the ferry to the fishermen’s
memorial and back (right from the ferry landing following the road
along the
shore), watching for passerines in the spring and fall. The roads to
Long Point
(and lighthouse) and Sandy Cove on the southern side of the island and
Pond,
Marsh Point Pond and Gull Cove on the north and eastern sides of the
island are
other good spots. The ferry trip is
often rewarding for Razorbills in late summer.
In early winter Guillemot, Common Murre, and flocks of
Purple Sandpipers
often flush from amongst the emergent ledges along the ferry route. In winter, Langmaid Cove has a great vantage
for Harlequin Ducks.
17.
Miller Pond:
Providing access to the interior of the island from Miller Pond Road off Route 776, the pond
margins are
attractive to warblers and other forest interior species.
You can also leave your car and walk to the
back of the island on old logging trails to Dwellys Pond (se trail
guide).
18.
The Anchorage/Long
Pond/Great Pond: The
provincial
campground off Route 776 is adjacent to the Grand Manan Migratory Bird
Sanctuary. Check out the sewage lagoon
for broods of American Wigeon, Long Pond for Ring-necked Duck, and
Great Pond
for vagrant divers such as Pied-billed Grebe, Ruddy Duck and Hooded
Merganser. The marshy area at the outlet
of the Great Pond should be checked for marsh birds and Sharp-tailed
Sparrows. Check the beach for
shorebirds.
19.
Red Point:
In Seal Cove at the end of Red Point Road, the alders attract small
landbirds and
Harlequin Ducks have been seen just offshore.
The boardwalk trail from here to the Anchorage provides many
opportunities to
observe sea ducks and other waterbirds.
Magnetic sand can be found on the beach.
A popular spot for grebes, mergansers and scoters.
20.
Wood Island:
An active community until the late 1950s, this island is
very seldom
birded because it is accessed only by boat.
Overgrown yards full of rose bushes should be very
attractive to spring
and fall migrants. Big Pond apparently
harbours nesting American Wigeon.
21.
Kent Island:
Site of the largest nesting colony of Leach’s Storm-Petrel
in the
islands, owned by Bowdoin College of Maine, it is used as a scientific
field
station. Permission to visit is required
and access is only by boat.
22.
Deep Cove and Beach:
The beach attracts roosting gulls and sometimes
Sanderlings; and the
stagnant pond backed up behind the seawall is a good spot for
insect-catching
birds in late fall or early spring, and sometimes Solitary Sandpiper. A trail leads inland up Deep Cove Brook to
Bradford Cove and also loops south to Bradford Cove Pond and Southwest
Head. Boreal Chickadee is as dependable
here as anywhere on the main island.
23.
Southwest Head: At the southern end of
the island, Machias Seal Island and the towers at the
former Cutler
Naval Station on the nearby cost of Maine can be seen from this
area. From the lighthouse looking down the
cliffs,
the occasional loon, cormorants, guillemots and eiders can be seen in
the water. Harlequin Ducks are sometimes
seen in the
early fall. In September and October,
Osprey, Northern Harrier and other raptors can be easily seen at eye
level as
they migrate along the clifftops, as well as various passerines. Guillemots nest on the cliffs east of the
light and can be watched feeding underwater.
24.
Machias Seal Island: This island has the only
staffed
lighthouse in the Maritimes and its nesting seabird colony, including
Puffins,
Razorbills, Common and Arctic Terns, is managed by the Canadian
Wildlife
Service. The numbers of daily visitors
is restricted and closely monitored to minimize disturbance to the
nesting
birds. Sea Watch Tours operate
excursions to the island mid June through early August.
Take lots of film! Foul
weather gear, warm cloths and motion
sickness tablets should be carried just in case.
There
are 391 New Brunswick bird species currently
accepted by the New Brunswick Bird Records Committee. The following
list
of these birds is given by English name (American Ornithologists'
Union),
French name (Commission internationale des noms français des
oiseaux),
scientific name (American Ornithologists' Union), and also the status
code
from the 1985 Checklist of New Brunswick Birds. If the status
has
changed since 1985, an updated code assigned by David Christie is given
in square brackets [ ].
The
Grand Manan Bird List is continually changing as birds are found and
documented. Four species are extinct (Great Auk, Labrador Duck,
Passenger Pigeon and Eskimo Curlew), 357 have been adequately
documented with descriptions, more than one observer and photographs,
20 additional are believed to be valid but need
further documentation (Band-rumped Storm-petrel, Brown
Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird, Spruce Grouse, Wilson's Plover,
California Gull, Great Horned Owl, Burrowing Owl, Three-toed
Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Gray Jay, Violet-green Swallow,
Bewick's Wren, Varied Thrush, Virginia's Warbler, Louisiana
Waterthrush, Brewer's Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Bronzed Cowbird,
Hoary Redpoll). Three birds are most likely escapees (Whooper
Swan, Black-billed Magpie and European Goldfinch). Without
the incredible compilations of the late Brian Dalzell, the Grand Manan
list would not be as well-documented.
All
species in dark blue type have been seen in the Grand Manan Archipelago
and New Brunswick. Those not seen in the Grand Manan Archipelago but
seen
in New Brunswick are in teal green type.
The codes apply to New Brunswick as a whole and may not reflect the
situation
in the Grand Manan Archipelago. Breeding status is where differences
usually
occur.
- A Checklist of Grand Manan
Birds. 2004. By BRIAN DALZELL, may be purchased at local shops or by contacting: Grand Manan Whale & Seabird Research Station,
Laurie Murison, 24 Route 776, Grand
Manan, NB, Canada E5G 1A1 or info@gmwsrs.org
Le
Comité des mentions d'oiseaux du Nouveau-Brunswick
a accepté 391 espèces d'oiseaux, 363 espèces
d'oiseaux
du Grand Manan. La nomenclature utilisée en anglais est celle de
l'American Ornithologists' Union (AOU), en français celle de la
Commission internationale des noms français des oiseaux; l'ordre
taxonomique est celui de l'AOU. Les codes utilisés indiquent le
statut de l'espèce dans la Checklist of New Brunswick Birds
(1985). Si celui-ci a changé depuis, un code plus
approprié
attribu par David Christie est placé entre crochets [ ].
Thanks
to David Christie for providing the New
Brunswick Bird checklist on the NB Naturalist web site at http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/maryspt/Nature-NB.html.
Codes
(applicable to New Brunswick as a whole
and not necessarily the Grand Manan Archipelago specifically)
A -
accidental (observed in not more than 3 of
last 50 years); espèce accidentelle (observée dans pas
plus
de 3 des 50 dernières années)
B -
breeding in the last 50 years; nicheur depuis
50 ans
b -
former breeding; espèce qui nichait
autrefois
* -
non-breeding migrant or visitor, occurring
regularly, numerous or rare; migrateur ou visiteur, ne pas nichant,
trouvé
pratiquement tous les ans, nombreux ou rare
R -
very rare (not expected annually); espèce
très rare ou inusitée (pas trouvée chaque
année)
X -
extinct; espèce disparue
(O) -
origin debatable but there is a reasonable
possibility of being wild birds; l'origine est contestable mais il y a
une possibilité raisonnable qu'ils étaient des oiseaux
sauvages
(S) -
accepted on the basis of sight record(s)
only; espèce qui n'a été recueillie ou
photographiée
dans la province
NBBRC
- New Brunswick Bird Records Committee /
Le Comité des mentions d'oiseaux du Nouveau-Brunswick
Until
the records committee establishes an official
list of species requiring documentation, the following can be used as a
guide.
Le
comité est à préparer
une liste officielle des espèces pour lesquelles il faut une
documentation
supplémentaire. Les termes suivants serviront de guide
jusqu'à
ce que la décision soit prise
Send comments to /
Envoyez des commentaires à
Grand Manan Whale & Seabird
Research Station, Laurie Murison, 24 Route 776, Grand Manan, NB,
Canada E5G 1A1 or info@gmwsrs.org
or David Christie maryspt@nbnet.nb.ca
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Page revised March 9, 2012
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