Bonaventure Island and Perce Rock

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If you have never heard of this place, don’t feel bad.  I had never heard of it either until we went on a recent expedition cruise to the Gulf of St. Lawrence region in Canada with Hurtigruten Cruise Line.  What a wonderful discovery this area turned out to be.  If you are a bird watcher you probably already know about this wonderful migratory bird sanctuary.  If not, you need to learn more about Bonaventure Island and Perce Rock Bird Sanctuary!

 

The Northern Gannet is the most populous bird in this sanctuary with numbers in the 100,000 range but it’s not the only bird species to be found there.  Other birds that have made Bonaventure Island and Perce Rock Migratory Bird Sanctuary their homes include the Puffin, the Common Murres, and the black-legged Kittiwakes.  Gulls are also found in large numbers here.  From a distance, the cliff walls and tops appear to be covered in snow; however, upon closer inspection, you can see that it is really birds nesting that give it the illusion of snow.  With more than 53,000 pairs of nesting Gannets on the island, it is easy to see why it would look like snow.  We had an ornithologist on board our ship who pointed out their behavior, the different species, and their nesting habit.  This was truly a treat to have an expert there willing and able to tell us about what we were seeing and help us to understand what a remarkable scene it was.

 

Perce Rock is located just north of Bonaventure Island.  Besides being a part of the migratory bird sanctuary, its most noteworthy feature is its natural arch.  The weather really cooperated to show this rock formation at its finest while we were there.  I was able to get some pretty nice photos.

 

If you are interested in learning more about this migratory bird sanctuary and how you can visit it for yourself, contact us, your expedition cruise experts and Hurtigruten Certified Agent Specialists.  We can help you plan your perfect visit!