Great Birding Escapes

The Gannets of Bonaventure Island

by

Bobby Harrison

     The great Appalachia range that rises from the plains of Georgia and extends some fifteen hundred miles north, find its end at the tip Canada’s Gaspe’ Peninsula. There, on the tip of the Gaspe’, the mountaintops wane, and submerge below the deep blue waters of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.   In what seems to be a last hurrah, the once and mighty range rises once more above the watery surface two miles off the shores of Perce’, Quebec. The emergent mountain is Bonaventure Island, the sight of what many ornithologist claim to be the most impressive wildlife spectacles on the planet.

Bonaventure Island, home to the largest Northern Gannet colony in North America.
(click on image to enlarge)

     By April northern gannets begin to arrive on the island to establish their nest, a few at first, but soon they begin to arrive by the thousands.  Gannets, seabirds with a six-and-a-half foot wing span, spend eight months of the year on the open sea.  Driven by instinct, the birds seek dry land to nest, and Bonaventure provides the perfect habitat.  The east side of the island rises vertically 250 feet above the water with cliffs riddled with nooks, crannies and ledges that serve as ideal nesting platforms.  By the end of April more than sixty-five thousand pairs of gannets descend upon the island to raise their young, a sight that is hard to comprehend until seen.  For this reason, I arrive on Bonaventure to experience the gannetry and capture the show with my camera.

Seaward side of Bonaventure Island showing Gannets nesting on the clift walls.
(click on image to enlarge)

     The boat trip to the island is short and weather conditions for shooting could not be better. A light cloud cover softens the light making photography conditions just perfect.  As I reach the seaward side of the island, birds seem to swirl in a hurricane of flurry as uncountable numbers wing-in from the sea looking for their nest among the many 

Northen Gannet soaring over the cliffs of
Bonaventure Island.  (click on image to enlarge)

thousands that festoon the cliffs.  Soaring over the ocean, many gannets flying just above the watery surface soar skyward sixty feet or more then turn and dive into the sea.  Just before impact, their wings stretch back along their bodies and like arrows the birds strike the water and disappear below the surface.  Like corks, the gannets pop back to the surface and take flight toward Bonaventure.

     As I arrive on the leeward side of the island, I began the two-mile trudge toward the gannetry.  After an hour into the trek, the uphill climb and forty-five pounds of camera gear began to wear on me, but more than half way across the island I find a patch of bunchberries nestled against the trunk of a spruce.  The subtle beauty of the flowers called to be photographed, but more than that, they provided a good excuse to take a breather from the climb.

Cornus canadensis (Bunchberry) -- Bonaventure Island, Quebec
(click on image to enlarge)

     As soon as I saw the patch of flowers I thought of Eliot Porter, the master of large format, color nature photography. Porter, in my opinion was the best bird photographer that has ever lived, and he himself had made a similar trek as I was making to the Bonaventure gannetry. In fact, if you are a nature photographer, you have probably followed in the Porter’s footsteps. He pioneered the use of color nature photography, and is best known for his exquisitely detailed bird, and nature close-ups.
     His book, In Wilderness is the Preservation of the World, was the first oversized coffee table book. Porter’s work inspired a new genre of photography, and future generations of nature photographers.  The Bunchberries beckoned to be photographed, and though I was in a hurry to get to the gannetry I could not pass this exquisite Lilliputian landscape, and pay homage to this giant of photography.

A small stretch of the gantry on  Bonaventure Island
(click on image to enlarge)

        Soon, I am back on the trail and it is not long until I receive my first indication I am close to the rookery.  With each step I take, the screams and cries produced by the immense number of gannets is deafening.   As I walk into the colony the scenery is astonishing. As far as the eye can see gannets line the top of the cliffs.  But, what I see is only part of the colony, the birds line the cliffs for almost a mile.

Northern Gannet, Morus bassanus:  Bonaventure Island; Perce', Quebec
(click on image to enlarge)

      The gannetry is a menagerie of activity; thousands of gannets sit on nests placed only a beak's reach apart. The air is full of birds zipping over the polka-dotted landscape, each carrying masses of seaweed for its nest, or food for its nestling.  Impeccable flyers, gannets are quit clumsy landing and walking on solid ground.  Once a gannet finds its nest, it falls from the sky and tumbles onto ground where it’s mate awaits.  

Northern Gannet arriving with nesting material.
(click on image to enlarge)

Leaving the nest is bit more difficult.  Gannets must find their way to the edge of the cliff and launch themselves into the air.  Birds further from the edge of the cliff run a gauntlet of pecking and prodding from its neighbors before becoming airborne. There seems to be no peace for any birds in the colony as quarrels and persistent pecking by, and at itsneighbors is the norm.

     There is however another side to the birds, a tender side.  Once a gannet finds its nest and the neighboring bullying subsides, 

Pair bonding ritual of mated pair of Northern Gannet.
(click on image to enlarge)

the mated pair performs a choreographed dance.  With beaks pointing skyward, the pair rubs their bills together in a jest of recognition and pair bonding.  The affectionate affair takes less than a minute.  It is a calm and intimate ritual.

      One of the hardest things about shooting in the gannetry is showing the immensity of it size, as well as the individuality of a bird.  It takes time to find my place among the countless number of gannets.  As I find that place, I also find individuals that exhibit behavior that satisfies my curiosity, and I discover that the gannetry of Bonaventure Island truly is one of the most impressive wildlife spectacles on the planet.

For more information on Elliott Porter:

http://www.photographydealers.com/artists/eliot-porter

Tourist Information and boat tickets to Bonaventure Island
Tourist Office of Perce' - Tourist Information Center

142 Route 132 West
Perce', QC G0C 2L0
Canada
+1 418-782-5448
Closes at 9:00 PM
http://perce.info

Hotels:

Hotel Motel Fleu De Lys                           Riotel Perce
248 QC-132                                                261 QC-132
Perce', QC G0C 2L0                                   Perce', QC G0C 2L0
Canada                                                        Canada
+ 418-782-5380                                         + 418-463-4212
http://fleurdelysperce.com                         http://riotel.com

Hotel la Normandie                                 =Hotel Motel Manoir de
221 Rte. 132 Quest, C.P. 129                    132 Route de l'E'glise
Perce', QC G0C 1V0                                 Perce', QC G0C 1A0
Canada                                                        Canada
+ 418-782-2112                                         + 418-782-2022
http://normandieperce.com                        http://manoiredperce.com

The Mirage Hotel                                      Hotel-Motel Rocher Perce
288 Route 132 Quest                                 111 route 132 Quest
Perce', QC G0C 2L0                                  Perce', QC G0C 2L0
Canada                                                       Canada
+1 418-782-5151                                       +1 418-782-2330                                          
http://hotellemirageperce.com                   http://hotelperce.com

Auberge Les Trois Soeurs                         Au Pic del l'Aurore
77 QC-132                                                 C.P. 339
Perce', QC G0C 2L0                                  Perce', QC G0c 2L0
Canada                                                       Canada
+1 418-782-2183                                       (866) 882-2151
http://aubergelestroissoeurs.com               http://percechalet.com


Campgrounds:
Camping du Village                                   Camping Bale-De-Perce
16 Rue Donohue                                        180 Route 132 Quest
Perce', QC G0C 2L0                                  Perce', QC G0C 2L0
+1 418-782-2020                                       + 418-782-5102
http://campingduvillage.com                     http://campingbaiedeprece.com

Camping au Havre de la Nuit Inc.            Camping Cote Surprise
16 Rue Biard                                             335 route 132 Quest
Perce' QC G0C 2L0                                  Perce' QC G0C 2L0
Canada                                                      Canada
http://campingauquebec.com                   http://campingperce.com

Eateries:
Restaurant Biard Enr                             Le Recif
99 132 Rte W.                                           119 132 Rte W.
Perce', QC G0C 2L0                                 Perce', QC G0C 2L0
Canada                                                      Canada
+1 418-782-2873                                      +1 418-782-5622

Boite A Lunch Les Etes                          Restaurant La Table a' Roland
774 132 Rte W.                                         190 Route 132 Quest
Perce' QC  G0C 2L0                                 Perce' QC G0C 2L0
Canada                                                      Canada
+1 418-782-2937                                      +1 418-782-2606
                                                                  http://aubergelatablearoland.com

Restaurant Resto du Village                  Restaurant Le Surcouf Cafe'
162-A route 132 Quest                             168 route 132 Auest
Perce' QC G0C 2L0                                  Perce', QC G0C 2L0
Canada                                                      Canada
+1 418-782-5009                                      +1 418+782-5656

Great Birding Escapes

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge,

Grand marsh of the Great Salt Lake

by

Bobby R. Harrison

            For a bird photographer, there is not much that compares to the excitement and anticipation of a day in the field at one of the top bird photography locations in the country.  Last spring, my days at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge were very exciting, and filled with great anticipation.  I had made two previous attempts to shoot at the Refuge near Brigham, Utah; but each attempt was thwarted by refuge road construction.  Though disappointed, I was not disheartened, because even the drive itself to the refuge entrance provided exceptional bird photography.

Bear River Water Impoundment with Wasatch Mountains in the background.

     I arrived at the refuge in the early morning twilight while the air was brisk, and filled with cacophonous melodies of the pre dawn chorus.   In the dim morning light I could see an abundance of avocets and stilts wading the shallow lagoons sweeping their bills to and fro as they gobbled-up larva of the brine fly that breeds in the saline water.   While ducks lingered in the cattails, songbirds perched on the highest stalks in the marsh and sang territorial songs.  If I could somehow erase the power lines and cell phone towers in the distance, it would be easy to believe I was in the distant past witnessing a scene from the days of creation.       

      It was not long after my arrival that the morning twilight surrendered, and without warning, the sun burst over the Wasatch Mountains with intensity, and fury that filled the delta landscape with a rich, warm glow.  The warmth of the landscape was the perfect complement to the azure blue waters of the delta, the perfect light in which to take photographs.  The colors were rich and saturated as each blade of grass, feather, and dewdrop were emblazoned with vivid brilliance.  Within minutes the chill that had permeated the predawn air dissipated, and the birds that had been perched, singing their dawn chorus became even more active as they intruded on their neighbor’s territories and chased one another.

American Avocet, Recurvirostra americana eating brine flies.

In 1843 explorer John C. Fremont wrote of the delta; “The waterfowl made a noise like distant thunder . . . as the whole scene animated with waterfowl.”  Though the number of birds has greatly diminished from those early days, the refuge is still a phenomenal place for birds, and birders.  The refuge’s 74,000 acres of marsh are filled with an abundance of avocets, stilts, grebes, pelicans, cinnamon teal and two-hundred and five other bird species.

     Before me stood a plethora of birds to photograph, and I wasted no time.  As I drove along the twenty-five miles of refuge roads I constantly stopped to shoot.  Sometimes I simply used my vehicle as a blind, while often I was afforded the opportunity to set-up a tripod and shoot from a wading bird’s eye view.  As the sun broke over the mountains it seemed that the feeding activity increased.  I was largely ignored by the birds as I shot frame after frame of the feeding frenzy.  Avocets and stilts walked so close, that they came within the minimum focus distance of the lens.  I sat motionless and waited for them to move further away before I could resume shooting.

Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus

Not all the birds were busy feeding.  Some were on nest keeping their precious eggs, and future generation alive.  This was the first time I had the opportunity take photos of these amazing birds in their breeding plumage, it was like heaven from me.  It was the reason I was there.   I am constantly amazed by the satisfaction and fulfillment I receive with this simple communion with nature.

Satisfied with my images of the avocets and stilts I continued on my path of discovery, and indeed there were discoveries.  As I drove around a bend in the road I saw a bird I had never seen before.  We birders call them “lifers,” I could barley contain myself.  Within minutes I had images in camera.  The bird was a Clark’s grebe, it is akin to the western grebe, another bird I had not seen or photographed, yet.  That too was going change.  Within minutes a western grebe appeared on the scene and I found myself taking photos of two “lifers.”  It is not always like this; I was in a very special place. 

Clark's Grebe, Aechmophorus clarkii

 Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentals on nest.

The day was young and I continued my prowl for more birds set against perfect backgrounds,  and I was not disappointed.  Yellow-head blackbirds and marsh wrens are on my list, and they were ever present.  I finally found a marsh wren perched on a high reed blurting out its territorial call.  Watching the bird I found its favorite perch and parked near by to use my van as a blind.  It only took a few minutes for the marsh wren to make its rounds and perch on the reed I had chosen.   Soon I was rewarded with an image I had held in my mind for decades.  I used the same technique for the yellow-head blackbird with great success. 

Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris

     Though I shot in the marsh for three days, a good image of the beautiful cinnamon teal eluded me.  I shot many images of the bird, but I was not happy with any of them.  However, this is not a bad thing, for it gives me the opportunity to return to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and commune among the thundering wings in the marshes of the Great Salt Lake.

SIDE BAR:

LEARN MORE:  http://www.fws.gov/refuge/bear_river_migratory_bird_refuge

HABITAT TYPE: Marsh, open water and mudflats, fresh and brackish water marsh habitat types. Bring insect repellant during the warm summer months.

FEATURED BIRDS: American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Cinnonmon Teal, Western and Clark’s Grebe, Black-crowned Night Heron, Short-eared Owl, Marsh Wren, Yellow-headed Blackbird

SEASON: All year, spring and fall migration especially good.

DIRECTIONS:  Take Exit 363 and go west on Forest St. for 2.5 miles.  Follow curve to the left onto Bird Refuge Rd.  Go 9.8 miles to the refuge entrance.

NOTES: Accessible restroom

NEAREST CITY: Brigham City, UT

HOTELS: 

• Days In Brigham City, 1033 South 1600 West, Brigham City, UT 84302 : (435) 723-3500

• Hampton Inn Brigham City, 40 N Main St, Brigham City, UT 84302 : (435) 538-7080

• Brigham Historic Inn & Suites, 64 S, 100 W, Brigham City, UT 84302 : (435) 695-3363

• Galazie Motel, 740 S Main St., Brigham City, UT 84302 : (435) 723-3439

Find more at: https://www.google.com/#safe=off&q=hotels+brigham+city+ut&rflfq=1&tbm=lcl&rlfi=hd:2016-01-17%2C2016-01-18;si:17043643670938528379

RESTAURANTS:

El Toro Viejo Restaurant - Mexican Restaurant

680 S Main St.

Brigham City, UT 84302

(435)723-1911

Open until 9:00 PM

China Hua guan Restaurant - Chinese Restaurant

903 S Main St.

Brigham City, UT 84302

(435) 723-8859

Open until (9:30 PM

J & D's Famil Restaurant

720 S Main St.

Brigham City, UT 84302

(435) 723-3811

Find more at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g60835-Brigham_City_Utah.html

******  Please let me know if you like this new feature ******

Recently Published Work

My Great Birding Escape column for the spring 2010 issue of Living Bird magazine is now online on the Living Bird website. The GBE is about Sarett Natue Center in Benton Harbor, Michigan. This is the fifth GBE I have written. Another GBE should appear in the winter issue. To read this and other GBEs, join the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or see Living Bird online.
Go to: www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1889

Also in the spring issue is an article by Thomas A. Watson on Kayak Birding at Kodiak Island. It is a wonderful article and I was fortunate to be able to supply the bird photos to illustrate the article.
Go to: www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1897

Join the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and support bird study. You’ll also receive 4 issues of Living Bird Magazine each year.
To Join, go to: www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1241

Recently Published Work

     In the winter issue of Living Bird magazine is a one page article with photos titled, Great Birding Escapes. The GBE is about Pawnee National Grasslands, and is the fourth GBE I have written. Look for a GBE about Sarett Nature Center located in Benton Harbor, Michigan in the spring issue. To read this and other GBEs, join the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, or see Living Bird online, go to (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1085)