Perce Rock and Bonaventure Island boat and hiking tour - Absolutely Amazing

 

Today's adventure tour

Today we catch the 10:30 am boat tour, which will  take us up close to Perce Rock and then around Bonaventure Island before stopping on the island for a hike to the bird colony. 

Tour boats waiting to head out

The line up to get on is long so the first boat fills fast and we end up on the second boat, which is a blessing in disguise as there are about 1/4 the people they sent off in the first boat :)

Perce Rock 30 meter arch

Perce Rock is famous for its massive 30-meter natural arch and bird sanctuary. Historical accounts suggest it once had as many as three or four arches.The second last arch collapsed into the sea on June 17th 1845 and it left behind the detached pillar we can see standing separate from the main rock body. Due to constant ocean erosion the rock is crumbling at a rate of about 300 tons per year so it's expected to disappear completely in a few hundred years.

The boat heads on to Bonaventure Island, which boasts the largest migratory bird sanctuary in North America. Every spring it is home to 11 distinct breeding seabird species with a population of over 280,000 individual birds. 

Bird nests in sheer rock walls

The sheer rock walls and cliff ledges are for the smaller seabirds like Common Murres, Razorbills and Black-legged Kittiwakes. 

1000's and 1000's of birds

Same nest year after year

Trees on the easterly shore are beaten by weather

On the way around to the Bonaventure island dock, we see grey seals and even one lone Puffin that surfaces here and there. 

Once on the island we head off on the 4 km hike to the other side of the island where the Northern Gannet colony is. Clearly the trees here on the east side of the island have a rough go. The harsh winds and weather have taken their toll. 

Northern Gannet bird colony

Upon arrival to the colony the sound is deafening and the sight of all the birds is absolutely amazing. While the smaller seabirds use the cliffs, the large Northern Gannet colony is predominantly on the ground atop the highland plateaus. 

Northern Gannet

The Northern Gannet population on the island is roughly 110,000 to 121,000 birds making it the most accessible gannet colony in the world. 

Beautiful big birds

Everyone has their specific nest year after year

Established pairs of Northern Gannets are fiercely loyal to their nesting sites and return to the exact same nest location year after year. From a viewing platform above, you can see the clear pattern of the claimed nesting sites. 

Bill board showing Gannet rituals

Every year upon arrival the returning partners reunite at the exact same nest and perform elaborate courtship displays to re-establish their bond. In fact they have highly specific, stylized rituals that serve distinct purposes. There is Bill-Fencing, Bowing and Preening, Sky-Pointing and the list goes on. Very cool to witness. 

Good-bye Northern Gannet colony :)

We take another trail back to the boat launch and catch the 2:30 boat back to Perce. The weather is just starting to turn nasty so we have timed our day perfectly. An all around amazing experience.