Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Witless Bay
Ecological
Reserve
offshore islands; more than one mil-
lion breeding seabirds, feeding
whales, icebergs
birdwatching, whale
watching
Jun-Aug
Animals
If you needed one single reason to visit Atlantic Canada, it might be the world-class en-
counters with whales that gather in these food-rich waters. Around 22 species of whale
and porpoise can be seen on whale-watch tours, which are offered from countless coastal
harbors. Leaping and diving humpback whales are most common throughout the region,
but you might also catch a glimpse of the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale
or even the largest leviathan of all, the blue whale.
Closer to shore or hauled out on the ice, it is common to see seals, including in winter
the snowy white young of the harp seal. Harbor and gray seals are easily observed,
though in winter they seek out the edges of the pack ice.
Land animals are also a powerful draw. Fox, bear and otter are widespread throughout
the region. Rabbits are everywhere. On Newfoundland there are more than 100,000
moose and there are many more on Cape Breton Island, although they do stick to the
woods so unless you're a hiker, the highest likelihood of seeing them is on the road - a
very good reminder to drive slow (hitting a moose often does more damage to the car and
driver than it does the moose). As you travel north the animals become even more exotic.
From Newfoundland north you will find polar bear, Arctic fox, wolf, lynx and musk ox-
en. Labrador has the largest herd of caribou in the world, as well as wolves that follow
the long lines of migrating caribou.
The white hairs on a polar bear are hollow and trap sunlight to help keep the animal
warm in frigid temperatures .
Birds
Seabirds are the primary wildlife attraction in Atlantic Canada, and rightly so. There are
few places in North America where it's easier to see outstanding numbers of seabirds
such as razorbill, Atlantic puffin, common murre and northern gannet. Huge nesting
colonies on rocky islands and promontories may contain more than a million birds, but
these merely hint at the numbers that once nested here before market hunters slaughtered
uncounted millions of birds.
Mudflats and shorelines, especially along the Bay of Fundy, are famous for the tre-
mendous quantities of shorebirds they attract during the May and August migration. Up-
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