Tens of Thousands

Yesterday I had one of my best days of birding. We visited Parc National de l'Ile Bonaventure in Perce, Quebec, on the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. The island hosts the largest nesting colony of Northern Gannet in North America, and probably the world, and also the most accessible - an estimated 62,000 nesting pairs! I will have at least one column about the experience in a couple of weeks. Briefly, and for the moment, this was a breath-taking encounter with nature and birds.

After weeks of trying to photograph warblers and small songbirds, it was also a photograph's dream, with gannets in the thousands close at hand. On my traveling notebook, I have only sampled the hundreds of photographs from our few hours on the island. I think these will survive the eventual gleaning.

We have a gray and rainy day which is why I have the time to do a post. From my hotel window, I can see the ocean. Gannets are fishing close to shore, and Black-legged Kittiwakes are floating on the water's surface. In spite of the dreary day, I hate to miss opportunities, so I think I will take the camera and step outside ...

Good birding!