Many birds and marine mammals too!

Our vacation in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island gave me a chance to see lots of funky birds and some marine mammals too. The Atlantic puffins were by far the silliest looking creatures. They were much smaller than I had imagined them to be, but FUUUUUNNY.

Many of the birds that we saw still had their young with them, but they are getting ready to fledge. Aaaaaaaaawwww. Believe it or not, even the gull chicks were cute. Our best birding sites were: Bird Islands (near Big Bras d'Or in Cape Breton, NS); Martinique Beach Provincial Park, NS; Greenwich National Park, PEI; Cape Bear, PEI; French River, PEI; and on the trip home...Cap Jourimain, NB.

Our bird finds included: Piping Plovers, Black Guillemots, Razorbills, Northern Gannets, Great Cormorants, Double-Crested Cormorants, Common Eiders, Bald Eagles (adults and juveniles), Spotted Sandpipers, Ospreys, Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Great Black-Backed Gulls, Northern Harriers, a Black-Backed Woodpecker, Black Terns, Common Terns, Yellow Warblers, Song Sparrows, Cedar Waxwings, Black Ducks, Blue-Winged Teals, a female Pheasant, Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, and the usual suspects that don't warrant being listed.

Thanks to the wonders of 12X optical zoom, we were able to capture these photos of a Piping Plover and its chicks without distressing the endangered birds because we could stay well outside of their protected nesting area.

On the mammal front, we saw Minke Whales, Pilot Whales, Grey Seals and Harbour Seals. Mike won the "Best husband of all time" award for spotting pods of whales from shore during an early morning walk. He ran all the way back to our inn to wake me up, pack the camera and binoculars and drive to where they were frolicking. When we went out boating the Grey Seals and Pilot Whales were super curious which made it great fun to watch them.
What fun. We definitely should have taken even more time for our summer getaway in Atlantic Canada. The time flew by as we delighted in vacationing alone, walked the beaches, hiked the trails, strolled along the boardwalks, routed through the rock-covered shores, sailed on a tall ship, met colourful locals, toured on fishing boats, partook of delicious local meals and draughts, and so much more.