Nature Notes

Marine Life in the Bay of Fundy

2010-07-17T14:18:50Z

As I continue to explore the Bay of Fundy, every day I find new and exciting life in it. Harbor Porpoises make their way in close to our Island every year and feed on the small schooling fish that is abundant in our waters. Harbor porpoises are about 5 feet in length have a triangular dorsal fin and are very dark on the upper half of their body and lighter underneath. They are very shy of boats going about their business in a precise manner but are such a delight to see when you see pods breaking the surface. Their nickname is ``Puffin Pig" because on a calm, foggy day you can hear a short puffing sound made from when they come to the surface to breath.

Sometimes we have pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins frequent our area in July and August. They are about 8 feet in length, have a curved falcate dorsal fin and a white and yellow patch along its flanks. They are here to feed on small schooling fish like herring and mackerel. They are sometimes very curious of the boat and are known to bow ride and jump in the wake of the boat and do somersaults in the air. They are such a delight to see and make everyone smile with their antics!

We also get Grey Seals and Harbour Seals in our area and at low tide you can see them from on the rocks sunning themselves and taking a rest from fishing along the shore. A short hiking trail in Brier Island at Northern Lighthouse will take you to a place called, Seal Cove.

Pelagic Seabird Arrive in the Bay of Fundy

2010-07-17T14:17:42Z

Pelagic birds are special because they live their entire lives at sea. They only go to land to nest and some nest as far away as the Antarctic. So they deserve our appreciation and admiration for persevering in a harsh and unpredictable environment. The waters around our Islands are nutrient rich and several species of birds depend on these nutrients to sustain themselves and their chicks throughout the summer season. Some of the common and adundant birds we have sighted so far this year are: Red Phalaropes, Northern Fulmars, Greater Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters, Wilson`s Storm-petrels, Atlantic Puffins, and Northern Gannets. Other sightings of birds that are not regularly seen in our area in great abundance are: Common Terns, Manx Shearwaters, Common Murres, Razor-billed Auks, Pomarine Jaegar, and a Laughing Gull. As the season progresses some of these birds will leave and go to other areas while others will be replacing the ones that have left. I will continue to update you on the seabirds in our area and take pictures for everyone to enjoy.

Whales Arrive in the Bay of Fundy

2010-07-17T13:38:19Z

The summer season has begun with many new and interesting nature reports.
Humpback whales have arrived and moved in close to our Islands. This season we have sighted 7 new mother and calf pairs and some new whales not noted in our area have also been identified. Our regular visitors are showing up also and each one is like seeing an old friend after a long time apart. We have also sighted a mother and calf Right whale swimming through our harbour. These are the most endangered whales in our area. The population is about 400 so it was nice to see a couple of mother and calves doing so well. Just by coincidence the same day we sighted the mother and calf Right whales swimming in the harbour I was riding in the Bay of Fundy Whale car with Terri McCullough. As if on cue I bellowed to Terri, STOP THE WHALE CAR! I SEE A RIGHT WHALE IN THE HARBOUR! Terri has been promoting the Bay of Fundy in a customized design she created with the talented people she made it into a reality. With this ingenious marketing idea Terri is visiting areas all around the Bay of Fundy taking in the sights and answering peoples questions about the Bay of Fundy and what treasures can be found by visiting and experiencing life along the Bay of Fundy shores.

The Bay of Fundy, Nature's Playground

2010-06-19T23:30:23Z

As our lobster industry closes for the winter our tourism industry opens. Businesses get ready with a fresh set of paint and reorganize their merchandise for the upcoming summer season.

Whale watching has always been a big industry in our area. It is amazing how far these whales migrate every year to feed in the Bay of Fundy. The powerful tidal system creates strong currents called upwellings that occur in ledge areas around Brier Island. Upwellings act as a biological pump that bring nutrients to the surface layers of the ocean and fertilizes the phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is an important food source and is the start of a very complex food chain. Krill, copepods, and year old herring called, "Brit" is what these whales have come for.

This is a major feeding area for humpback, fin, minke and right whales. Pelagic seabirds also benefit from the enriched waters of the Bay of Fundy. Pelagic seabirds spend all of their life at sea only going to land to nest. They too are affected by this intricate food web system and can be seen by the thousands feeding. Greater Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters, Puffins, Petrels and Phalaropes all make the long trek to the Bay of Fundy.

What a great place to live when the ocean is your playground! I guess I am one of the lucky few that get to experience this great diversity of marine life every day I go to work.

Lobster oddities & season end for District 34

2010-06-06T17:29:53Z

Hello Everyone! Welcome to my nature notes blog.

As my biography states, I live in Brier Island so I will be blogging about events and nature notes from my region. One of the big industries in Southwest Nova is lobster fishing. Our Region is District 34 and our season opens the last Monday of November and closes May 31st. My husband has been a lobster fisherman for 25 years now but this year he finally decided to retire so we walked around and he videotaped the fishing boats loaded with traps coming in while I took pictures.

We also decided to follow the whole process from unloading the lobsters at the lobster pound to how they are packed and shipped out to market. The lobster pound in our area is owned by D.B Kenney. He is the third generation to own this business that has provided jobs in our area for many years. Howard Johnson, manager of the pound, gave me a tour of the tanks where lobsters are placed into individual compartments so as not to damage each other. They are stored in 35 degree Fahrenheit water which makes the lobsters go into hibernation mode. That way they do not eat and they can last longer before being shipped off to markets in the U.S and Canada.

He also showed me some oddities he has collected throughout the year. Many are different colours and some have double claws and at the end of the season he releases them back into the Bay of Fundy.