Trip to Gaspé, QC Part 1

10 August 2018

Waterloo, ON - Montmagny, QC

     Having birded on Canada's west coast in April of this year we looked forward to a brief trip to the east coast to enjoy the avifauna of that region.

     Even though this was a short visit I am going to break the report into two parts, due mainly to the sheer volume of photographs that will illustrate the narrative.

     We were five on this trip, originally six, but one of the participants cancelled a week before we left. Judy came to our house a little before 06h:00 and we were picked up shortly thereafter by Franc and Carol in the minivan we had rented so that we could all travel together. Soon we were on our way with Franc taking the first shift of the driving. 

     There were no traffic issues all the way to Cornwall, ON, with even the normal bottleneck across Toronto not materializing. We had each packed a lunch to take with us, so we ate in the vehicle, not stopping other than to refuel and take a bathroom break.

     In Cornwall I took over the driving chores from Franc and we began to encounter delays almost from the moment we crossed into Québec. A lot of it was due to construction, but around Québec City we really slowed down, often barely moving, and then we passed a huge accident involving several vehicles, closing all lanes except one.

     We finally arrived in Montmagny where we had reserved accommodation for the night just after 18h:00, at least three hours past the time when we had expected to arrive. We checked into our rooms, cleaned up a little and went for dinner at the restaurant attached to the motel. Judy kindly provided wine for everyone; I had fish and chips and Miriam had a pizza. The food was in fact quite good.

     I am sure that everyone was happy to get to bed after a long day on the road. I slept well until about 03h:00, but was awake after that.

11 August 2018

Montmagny - Rimouski - Newport

     There was a Tim Horton's just up the road from our motel, so we stopped there to pick up breakfast to go. Both Miriam and I had a bagel with cream cheese and a coffee.

     We had decided to stop at Rimouski, where the estuary of the St, Lawrence River is tidal, having checked that the tide would be out around the time we expected to be there. On the way we noticed a national park called Le Bic, so we decided to stop for a half hour to stretch our legs.

     The park was right on the estuary and even though we used all the persuasive charm we could muster, in both French and English, they would not let us leave our vehicle in the parking area and just walk down for a half hour without paying the entrance fee. So we birded around the parking lot, where there were in fact quite a few birds. 

     Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) was especially common.

     Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) played hide and seek in the trees and White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) were there too.

     We arrived in Rimouski around 10h:30 and the tide was out, revealing a wide estuary. 

     Birds were confined mainly to gulls and cormorants and it was apparent that shorebird migration had not started to any appreciable extent for other than a few distant Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) none were present.
  

American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

     Several Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) were seen both in and out of the water, this individual hauled on on a rock manifesting the classic "banana"

shape of this species.

     A Merlin (Falco columbarius) hunted from an overhead wire, but we were not fast enough to capture a picture.

     We pressed on towards the Gaspé Peninsula stopping at a small town along the route to pick up lunch. A Subway sandwich shop was adequate and Miriam and I both had a chicken cesar salad wrap which we found quite tasty.

     I took over the driving from Franc at this point and it was clear sailing all the way. The views along the St. Lawrence River were nothing short of magnificent, and it was interesting to see how the farms radiated out from the river like spokes, clearly indicating the pattern of early settlement. In pioneer days the river served as the only means to access these remote farms and villages; without the river there would have been no Nouvelle France.

     We were probably no more than about a half hour from our destination in Newport when I spotted a huge flock of Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus) diving into the water in pursuit of fish. We pulled off to observe and quickly concluded that there was at least a couple of thousand birds concentrated above an area of the bay obviously rich in fish. The birds were quite distant, but Franc managed at least this one shot to convey a sense of the drama we witnessed.

     It was a riveting spectacle to see these huge birds, shaped like aerodynamic cigars, fold their wings and enter the water like a hot blade cutting into butter. It may not have been possible to capture the action photographically but the image in our mind is imprinted there forever.

     We arrived at the house we had rented around 17h:00 and unloaded everything we had brought for our five night stay.

     The Baie des Chaleurs was right behind us and gannets were feeding way offshore. Double-crested Cormorants were on the rocks and Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) fed in the shallows.

     Franc, Judy and I went into Chandler to buy bread, beer for Judy, and wine for the rest of us. We checked out a freshwater lake for future reference since we would probably be driving past it each day.

     Carol had brought a tasty beef stew with her and we ate well. It was delicious and the bread and wine accompanied it to perfection.

     No one was in bed late. The house is perfect for our purposes, the drawback being, however, that it is right on the highway, and the noise of traffic is constant. Sleep was hard to come by.

All species 11 August: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Eider, Black Scoter, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Northern Gannet. Double-crested Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Turkey Vulture, Wester Osprey, Accipiter sp., Ring-billed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, American Herring Gull, Rock Dove, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Merlin, Eastern Phoebe, American Crow, American Cliff Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Tennessee Warbler, Pine Warbler, Myrtle Warbler, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow.

Newport - Percé - Gaspé - Newport

     I was lying in bed listening to traffic noise and got up at 04h:30; it was already light. I think I heard every conveyance that could possibly have been on the road overnight; cars, trucks, and at one point it sounded as though the local motorcycle club was out for a midnight ride and decided to throttle up right outside my window.

     Judy had set up the coffee pots the previous night so I turned on one of them and had coffee and a bowl of cereal and waited for the others to stir. It was a fine day, and the birds were active out on the water.

     After everyone had gotten up and breakfasted according to their taste, we got ready to go into Percé. The few trees and shrubs at the back of the house and the small freshwater creek were quite active. I think that every morning we saw a pair of Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens) on the same tree.

     A Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata)or two were equally faithful.

     On the way to Percé we stopped at the freshwater lake, complete with fountain,  we had checked earlier, and a few ducks were present, and a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), but nothing of great significance. A Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) flew overhead.

     As we proceeded towards Percé we stopped at a small harbour, which I thought looked inviting for Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle) but there were none.

     A few shorebirds were present, however and both Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus) and American Herring Gulls patrolled the shore and the breakwater.

     We drove into the tourist town of Percé, with great views of the signature rock from which it derives its name.

     Our principal reason for visiting Percé was to get the lay of the land, inquire about the boat trip out to Île Bonaventure and to purchase our tickets for the first boat out the following morning.
     We also took advantage of our time there to explore a little and walk along the streets of this busy, but picturesque, little town.
     The only hirundine we saw during our visit was American Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and they were quite numerous in places. Amazingly they nested in this busy location right at the beach, obviously oblivious to the constant flow of human activity.

     Birds are central to the tourist industry of this part of the Gaspésie and an examination of some of the shops catering to tourists reinforces this theme.

     Even the chairs had a gannet theme.

     Partial as I am to all thing ornithological, I purchased a lovely Northern Gannet figure, created by local artist Suzanne Tétreault-Massé, which now occupies pride of place on my shelves in front of the books dealing with seabirds.

     We drove from Percé to Gaspé where we had lunch. I had a delicious plate of nachos and Miriam selected the all day breakfast.
     On the drive back to Percé we stopped at various little coves and small parks and birded along the way. Warblers were starting to migrate and American Redstart ( Setophaga ruticilla) was seen quite frequently.

     We also saw our only Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) of the trip.

     From Percé we headed home to Newport, stopping along the way to pick up a few groceries. Miriam, Carol and Judy combined to make a delicious dinner of pasta with chorizo sausage and salad, with a Lesser Yellowlegs and a flock of Northern Gannets providing great entertainment as we sipped our wine and looked out the window. Birding trips are fun!

All species 12 August: Mallard, Lesser Scaup, Common Eider, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Blue Heron, Northern Gannet, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ring-billed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, American Herring Gull, Rock Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Merlin, Red-eyed Vireo, American Crow, Northern Raven, Black-capped Chickadee, American Cliff Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, American Goldfinch, Tennessee Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Myrtle Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle.