New Brunswick: welcome to New Brunswick, Canada … where bird-watchers answer the call of Sandpipers, Plovers, Bald Eagles, Puffins and rare waterfowl. From island retreats to protected marshes and preserved habitats, this is an ecological haven for millions of winged creatures

Natural History, March, 2003

NEW BRUNSWICK'S BAY of Fundy, One of the Marine Wonders of the World, is a prime feeding ground for migrating birds. Campobello Island and Grand Manan Archipelago (one of Thayer's Top 100 Birding Hot Spots) are located at the mouth of the bay and are home to more than 390 species of birds. John James Audubon, author of Birds of America, discovered and sketched some entirely new bird species here. Nearby Machias Seal Island is one of the few Puffin colonies in the world where visitors can go ashore and view them in their natural habitat.

Farther along the Fundy Coast, make sure you stop and tour the gleaming mud flats of the Irving Nature Park in Saint John, a 600-acre estuary acclaimed for its amazing bird staging area. And visit the interpretative centre of nearby Fundy National Park to discover why Fundy's ecosystem is so important to many of North America's rare birds. The park is also home to a network of coastal trails where you can catch sight of shorebirds reeling in the tidal wake.

Over on the Acadian Coast, you'd better bring your binoculars to the wildlife reserve at Cape Jourimain Nature Centre ... over 170 different species of birds are protected here by the Canadian Wildlife Service! In Sackville, visit the Tantramar Marshes. Situated on one of North America's major migratory bird routes, they offer prime nesting and feeding grounds for Marsh Hawks and countless waterfowl. Constructed over 200 years ago, the marshes are the largest man-made agricultural land mass in Canada and home to the Sackville Waterfowl Park. This 55-acre park has a network of boardwalks and walkways which allows species such as the Common Snipe and the Tree Swallow to be observed without harming the lush grasses and wetlands in which they thrive.

Continuing up the coast you'll discover a provincial eco-treasure ... the Irving Eco-Centre, La Dune de Bouctouche. "The Dunes," as they are known locally, also offer an extensive boardwalk system along one of the last remaining white sand dunes on the northeastern coast of the continent. Here you will see rare plants as well as spot the Tern and endangered Piping Plovers as they nest in the fragile marshes.

Head up to the northeastern tip of the province to the serene Miscou Island, the site of the Oldest Lighthouse in Eastern Canada and home to a burgeoning bird sanctuary. You'll find Yellowlegs, Sandpipers, Northern Gannets and many more on Miscou's spectacular coast. You should see the island in the fall ... the thick brush that covers the bogs for miles on up to the lighthouse turns an amazing fire red. It makes for an incredible birding backdrop!

It's all part of the wonder of bird-watching ... and it's waiting for you next door in New Brunswick, Canada!