Bay of Fundy Blog

Rough tides & new driftwood

2009-07-17T21:53:00.003-03:00

We Fundy folk are quite fond of wild weather...well, we do live by the world's most extreme tides so I suppose it only makes sense that we like our weather on the edgey side too.

Since so much of the ocean floor is exposed here at low tide, we're quite tuned in to how the weather and tides combine to interesting effect. Take the famous Saxby Gale, for example, still venerated in local folklore. I've also previously mentioned starfish tides and strange objects turning up in the wrack line.

One of the other things the tide churns up on a regular basis is massive amounts of driftwood... and not just small chunks either. It's quite typical to see whole trees wash up, like this one I took a photo of this morning. If you're planning a beach bonfire though, be warned, it's considered impolite in Fundy circles to actually burn these tree trunks - use them as seats instead! More beach bonfire etiquette in this previous post.

Raining wild rose petals

2009-07-14T09:35:00.000-03:00

When Belle and I were out for our run this morning we came across a sight fit for an outdoor wedding: wild rose petals floating down off the breakwater and on to the beach.

The next tide will probably absorb them but they sure looked pretty out here in bright contrast to the grey cobble beach. If you look closely on the right you can see a teeny-tiny Belle patiently waiting (again) for me to take photos.

I love my salty dog!

That's the way to eat lobster

2009-07-09T08:35:00.005-03:00

There are lots of great roadside fish markets around the Bay of Fundy and, if you're lucky, you can even buy lobster fresh off the wharf. The Fundy town of Alma, New Brunswick, probably wins the prize though - they've got three really nice waterfront fish markets. No fresher way to serve the over 200,000 annual visitors to nearby Fundy National Park.

In my travels to Alma this week, I popped in to Butland's Seafood Market to grab a lobster for lunch. The one great thing about a lobster market is that your lobster is guaranteed to be cooked to perfection, and this one was! It's served on newsprint in a cardboard box with little tubs of coleslaw and potato salad on the side. I grabbed mine and ate half of it while driving (not generally recommended!) to nearby Cape Enrage Lighthouse. Yum!

Terri's top 10 reasons to vote Fundy TODAY!

2009-07-07T07:17:00.000-03:00

This is the last day to vote in the 2nd phase of the global New7Wonders of Nature contest. Bay of Fundy is competing as Canada's top site. Click here to vote for Bay of Fundy!

Need to know what makes Bay of Fundy so awesome? Here are my top 10 fav things about our bay:

10. The Bay of Fundy boasts some of the best and freshest seafood in North America: lobster, scallops, salmon (fresh & smoked), halibut, mussels, sole, haddock, herring, mackeral, flounder, dulse (edible seaweed), etc.

9. The Bay is home to the largest whirlpool in the northern hemisphere: the Old Sow Whirlpool off Deer Island, New Brunswick.

8. The Fundy region has so many geology firsts it's almost embarrassing:

world's best fossil forest
Canada's oldest dinosaurs
world's most complete fossil record
world's smallest dinosaurs
evidence of the 'missing link' between the Jurassic & Triassic periods of geological history
best place in the world to see all three rock types from three different geological time periods: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic

7. Fundy is the hottest site in the world for tidal power potential (outdated barrage or causeway-style technology - destructive to the environment!! - has been replaced by new, much less invasive, underwater turbines that look like modern wind mills).

6. Our Bay is the summer habitat and feeding ground for these gentle giants: 12 species of whales, including the rare and endangered North Atlantic Right whale (half the world's population of Right whales visit Fundy annually).

5. Fundy's low tide mud flats are a critical feeding ground for 95% of the world's semi-palmated Sandpipers on their annual migration from the Arctic to the west coast of Africa then South America.

4. UNESCO loves us! Upper Bay of Fundy as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and Joggins Fossil Cliffs as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

3. Bay of Fundy tides, 54 feet/15 metres are the highest on the planet. To put this in perspective: South Carolina, USA, tides are 5 feet and Vancouver, BC's tides 10 feet.

2. Fundy is one of the world's richest marine ecosystems and has been compared to the Amazon rainforest in biodiversity.

1. The people of the Fundy adore & protect their bay and love sharing its mysteries with visitors. They are also a formidable troupe who have risen to the challenge of promoting and voting for our Bay... propelling to top Canadian site in this contest. I love yez!!

Kipper pesto omelet

2009-07-05T18:08:00.002-03:00

Bay of Fundy Kippers (smoked herring) are most often eaten as a snack or for lunch straight out of the can around these parts. In the UK, though, it's not uncommon to eat kippers for breakfast in some combination with eggs. Here's one of my favourite kipper recipes, combining eggs, kippers and pesto just to jazz things up a bit...

Kipper pesto omelet
3 eggs (or 1 egg, 2 whites)
1/4 sm eggplant
1 c sauteed mushrooms
1 to 2 Tbsp pesto
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1 to 2 cans of regular kippers, drained & crumbled
1 c pineapple
a few slices of cooked bacon (opt)
salt & pepper to taste

Sauteed diced eggplant and mushrooms in butter. Whisk pesto and egg together in a bowl. Add other ingredients to pan, cover with eggs. Cook flat in fry pan til almost dry. Flip into omelet shape. Cook low heat, covered.

Rare whale sighting

2009-07-03T10:57:00.005-03:00

This time it's not the whales that made for a rare Fundy whale sighting - it was the location! On the weekend there were a dozen pilot whales in the Upper Bay of Fundy in the vicinity of Hopewell Rocks. If you'd like to check your Bay of Fundy geography, take a look at this map. (Hopewell Rocks is up near where Nova Scotia (yellow) meets New Brunswick (orange).

I can tell you that live whales very rarely come up this high in the Bay of Fundy. In fact, in the 13 years since Baymount Outdoor Adventures has been operating kayak tours at Hopewell Rocks they've never seen whales on their tours. So you can imagine the surprise of the kayakers in this video when they went for their paddle. A rare and wonderful day on the Bay of Fundy...

Whale watch update

2009-07-01T15:05:00.000-03:00

I've been getting quite a few emails from folks asking how the whale watch season is going so far. Here's a guest post from one of our whale watch tour companies with an update:

Hi Bay of Fundy Blog followers! I'm Danielle and I work with Quoddy Link Marine, a whale watching company out of St. Andrews, NB. Our tours take passengers out on the NW corner of the Bay of Fundy around Campobello, Deer Island, Grand Manan and the Wolves. Here's how our season is going so far... It's been a foggy start, and the fog remains but we have managed to get quite a few afternoon trips out amongst Head Harbour Passage where there are some holes in the fog (as the warm air blows over Campobello it creates some clear spots in the Passage). We are seeing minke whales on a consistent basis as well as lots of seals (both harbour and grey) and harbour porpoise.

For all you birders out there, the common birds sightings are good (bald eagles, herring and greater black back gulls, black guillemots, black-legged kittiwakes and eider ducks) but with the fog we also get some unique offshore visitors to the inshore area such as puffins, murres and shearwaters. We had a group of northern gannets the other day that we actively feeding, so diving from over 50 feet in the air, off East Quoddy Head Light. All of the bird activity is a great sign of herring (food for both the whales and birds) in the area.

Yesterday we did make a short trip down off Bliss Island to see if we could hear any fin whales, in the fog, when there is little wind, we often listen for whales, being able to hear them blow, or exhale, over a mile away. We didn't hear anything yesterday but you never know unless you "look".

Thanks for taking the time to read my guest post, if you want daily updates on our settings check out our blog and you can follow us on Twitter.

Bring on the parting of the sea

2009-06-27T05:00:00.001-03:00

As a lifetime resident of the Bay of Fundy I'm often surprised and delighted by visitors' impressions of our region. And sometimes it takes a newcomer to see the Bay with fresh eyes and new potential. Such was the case a few years ago when a Californian arrived on the shores of Five Islands in the upper Bay on the Nova Scotia side. Dick Lemon turned up and created an ecological retreat atop one of the islands then, while looking out at his extraordinary view, thought "wouldn't it be fun if we created an event where people could enjoy this beauty by walking and running across the ocean floor during the one or two lowest tide days of the year." Hence, the Not Since Moses race was born!

This year's race is today and tomorrow, sold-out, with over 600 walkers & runners attending. This short video I made last year will give you an idea of what a crazy bit of fund this was last year. Bring it on again today!

MIgratory bird habitat now under protection

2009-06-24T07:37:00.004-03:00

A goodly portion of the Bay of Fundy is rural & small town - the road less traveled - so not subject to massive amounts of development. Still, there are some areas of critically important habitat that warrant a higher level of protection. Johnson's Mills along the Bay of Fundy coast in New Brunswick is one such areas and Fundy nature types are happy to hear that more of this region has just been acquired by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

This new 80 hectare purchase adds to the current 128 hectares protected by the Johnson's Mills Shorebird Reserve. This area, along with adjacent Mary's Point, is a critically important feeding area for migratory birds on their annual trek from the Arctic to South America (via Bay of Fundy and the west coast of Africa). Indeed an estimated 85% of the world's population of semi-palmated sandpipers stop here in Fundy every summer to pump up their weight on our tiny mud shrimp for their next non-stop flight.

Three cheers for the NCC for adding Johnson's Mills to their national protected areas!

A child's view of our BIG tides

2009-06-21T20:29:00.004-03:00

In addition to high-low tide photos sets, videos of Bay of Fundy are great ways to represent our intriguing seascape. Here is a delightful video that shows the genuine curiosity and pure delight of a little gal exploring the Fundy coast with her dad. It warms my heart to see our young friends embracing our tidal coast like this!

Thanks to Dave at Annapolis Valley Audio Visual for sharing this video. Another enthusiastic Fundy fan!

Sea kayaking on the Fundy coast

2009-06-18T07:02:00.002-03:00

Every time I sea kayak the Bay of Fundy I'm astonished that we can do this awesome sport in such an extraordinary coastal environment. First kayak of the year this season happens to have been with Nova Shores in Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia.

Like many of the kayak companies based in Fundy, owners Werner and Else Marie like to have a little fun with their guests by 'parking' the kayaks on dry beach and allowing the tide to come in to float the kayakers out to start the tour. Kinda makes an impression with visitors, that's for sure.

Here are some images of the coming-up-to-high tide launch then way low tide (this was after we were well back and had enjoyed dinner at the Wild Caraway Cafe). 'twould be a long haul dragging those kayaks across that vast expanse of beach had gone on a longer adventure!

Check out previous blog posts for all Fundy companies I've kayaked with, all on the New Brunswick side: Baymount Outdoor Adventures, FreshAir Adventures, and Seascape Kayak Tours. All fun folks who run super tours!

Bay of Fundy BACK in New7Wonders campaign

2009-06-16T06:00:00.002-03:00

Every day is an interesting one here on the Bay of Fundy but there is one day last week that I'll remember for quite some time. We had a call from Brussels, Belgium, to say that Bay of Fundy has been reinstated as Canada's official nominee in the international campaign to declare the New7Wonders of Nature!

Those who follow my blog may remember that Bay of Fundy was in a neck & neck race with several other Canadians nature sites late last Fall and early winter to represent Canada in Spring Phase 2 of the contest. In January, we appeared to have lost first place to an Alberta site (western side of Canada - we're on the east coast) but just found out that they lost their standing in the contest and we are back in! Fun!!!

Even if you voted for us in the Fall, you can now vote again. Bay of Fundy has been back in the campaign for a several days now and the New7Wonders website is going wild. Please help by voting before July 7, 2009, when the top 77 international sites will be declared...Bay of Fundy can be on this list with your help!

Fundy's chique urban park

2009-06-13T11:04:00.000-03:00

In addition to Saint John, New Brunswick, offering a vibrant waterfront and historic streetscape downtown, the city is also home to two fine parks: Rockwood Park with 10 lakes, golf, zoo and hiking, and Irving Nature Park with 8 walking trails on the Fundy coast.

Just a few minutes from the centre of the city, Irving Nature Park offers a fully accessible low speed park roadway along with coastal and woodland walking trails. What's somewhat more surprising at Irving Nature Park is are the rocks ledges where harbour seals and porpoises congregate...fun wildlife watching so close to the city! And if you're a birder, this is a great place to spot up to 250 species of birds.

Bay of Fundy cruises

2009-06-10T13:28:00.008-03:00

Although I dedicate lots of space here on my Bay of Fundy blog to rural and small town touring around our 'road less traveled', I also like a good dose of city - particularly our lovely coastal city of Saint John.

Seems I'm not alone....this New Brunswick city is going wild as a favourite port-of-call for cruise ships visiting the east coast of Canada. In the past 10 years this cheery, walkable city has grown cruise visits from 28,000 passengers aboard 24 vessels to 181,000 passengers aboard 80 vessels.

"Anchor in the Bay of Fundy" is the theme (happy smiles from me!) for cruise visitors to Saint John. There are lots of options for day trips to see various tidal phenomena. Judging by the article that appeared in the news this week, cruisers are hugely satisfied with the city, its friendliness and charm....awwww shucks!

Poppies ablaze in the garden

2009-06-06T06:10:00.000-03:00

I'm not much of a 'fancy gardener' but a sure do enjoy the many perennials that pop up in our ditches and flower gardens each spring & summer here on the Bay of Fundy.

The first shrub to bloom in my garden is February Daphne (which folks around here call "May Bush")...it must bloom somewhere (Florida?) in February but it's April or early May blooming here.

Next in the harbinger-of-spring sequence are Forget-me-nots and fruit blossoms (apple, pear, etc.) which are pretty much fading by now. Next in line is Columbine - my purples are waving away this weekend and, of course, bright Poppies (pictured here from my garden) which burst forth this week. When my kids were little we'd take bets on which day the first poppy would pop - just like us, they sure respond to the sun at this time of year!

Can you hear the tide turn?

2009-06-04T07:34:00.000-03:00

As a lifetime resident of the Bay of Fundy, I often get asked some really interesting questions by visitors. Such as:

when the tide is out in the Bay of Fundy, is it high on the other side of the world? (answer: it's likely to be "out" on the other side too but "in" a quarter way round the world)

where does all the water go when the tide goes out? (answer: creates a massive bulge in the middle of the ocean - this is weird but picture the cornea of the human eye relative to the rest of the eyeball - that's what the tide bulge looks like, tho' proportionately smaller, of course!)

can a resident of the Bay sense whether the tide is in or out? I'm not sure how to answer this one but I can tell you that we can sense/hear when the tide stops coming in and turns to go back out. Or at least I can...er, I assume other Fundy folk can too? Seriously, if I'm at the beach at high tide, when the tide reaches it's peak, there're a few seconds where it makes a sluffing sound - like a thousand puppy tongues lapping - before it turns to go out. I'd record this and put it on YouTube but you kinda hafta visit hand-in- hand with a Fundy resident to catch the subtleties of this!

Too much rhubarb? Make rhubarb curry

2009-06-01T11:25:00.003-03:00

The Bay of Fundy rhubarb harvest is bounteous again this year - seems we've always got the right conditions for these stalks to 'go crazy'. Good time to drag out my recipe for ...

Rhubarb Curry

1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground fennel
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Mix all spices.

2 Tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
Sea salt or kosher slat
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 c coarsely chopped green cabbage
2 cups diced (½ inch) potatoes
1½ cups thinly sliced rhubarb
1 cup French lentils, soaked 4-6 hours and drained
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 c fresh or thawed frozen peas

1. In a large saucepan, melt the ghee or butter over medium heat.

2. Add the onion, shallots, ginger, and a large pinch of salt, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, stir in the garlic and the spice blend, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

3. Add the cabbage, potatoes, rhubarb, lentils, brown sugar, and bay leaf, along with enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes (cooking time may vary depending on the age of the lentils). Stir occasionally and add more water as necessary to kept the dish fairly soupy.

4. When the lentils are tender, season with salt to taste, stir in the peas, and simmer until the peas are just tender, about 4 minutes. Serve.

At Last... A Bay of Fundy Limerick!

2009-05-31T08:04:00.000-03:00

I've gotten used to seeing the Bay of Fundy used as a metaphor for predictability ("as regular as the Bay of Fundy tides") or for massive change ("the difference between them was like the difference between high and low tides on the Bay of Fundy") but I rarely see Fundy used in poetry. It, well....it just doesn't really rhyme with much or so I thought until I came across this clever limerick:

A man loved a gal named Bundy
Who came from the Bay of Fundy.
But to his despair,
She gave him the air
Sic transit gloria mundi.

No author indicated but it's 'poem of the day' on Jokes2Go.com.
(In case you're not up on your Latin, the last line means something like "so passes the glory of the world" - poor fella!)

Go fetch!....er, Fundy style

2009-05-28T23:28:00.001-03:00

I've often been asked if living by the world's highest tides effects people in any way...well, we could have a lengthy chat about that .... but I do think our coastal canines develop some interesting habits uncommon in their city counterparts.

Take, for example, my dog Belle: I've previously mentioned how she likes to fetch driftwood every time we have a bonfire, and also how she snurfles out ice pebbles in winter. She's also a pretty good judge of what's normal and abnormal about the rack line and she likes to swim year round in the Bay of Fundy.

One of the other things she does is play fetch at the beach, though not of sticks but stones. No stone-skipping in our family, no sirreee, every stone tossed into the water is cheerily retrieved by the little rascal. Here she is in action - can dogs smile? she sure looks pretty proud of herself!

Another Bay of Fundy lighthouse... Walton, NS

2009-05-26T17:11:00.000-03:00

If you're a coastal explorer like me, chances are you're also interested in exploring built heritage of the sea. Although travelers by land and water now navigate with sophisticated GPS units now instead of fog horns there are still lots of preserved Bay of Fundy lighthouses in great locations that are usually open to the public for touring.

Pictured here is the 'salt shaker' style Walton, Nova Scotia, lighthouse. This lighthouse, built in 1872, is located on Route 215 - a somewhat less traveled but gosh-so-darn-pretty coastal touring route. This lighthouse played a key role historically in guiding boats loading gypsum, lumber & other cargo in this extreme tide harbour. Now open seasonally as a visitor's centre and small musuem. Panoramic view of vast exposed ocean floor of Fundy's Minas Basin at low tide.

Click here for more info on Nova Scotia lighthouses.

What are fiddleheads, really?

2009-05-24T18:29:00.005-03:00

I've done several posts on Bay of Fundy's Twitter about fiddleheads this week and my followers over there seem to be somewhat surprised that we eat ferns....ah, but we do! Fiddleheads are the curled early starts of ferns (I believe those we eat around Fundy are Ostrich ferns).

Yes, it's true they are semi-poisonous if eaten uncooked but are tasty, safe & nutritious when steamed or boiled. The adventuresome among us actually traipse around the forest scavenging for fiddleheads, but the rest of us usually buy them in a grocery store, such as pictured here. They're only available fresh for a few weeks before the ferns shoot up. Nice while they last! (Check out some of my fiddlehead recipes)

Must....have....chocolate?

2009-05-20T23:10:00.001-03:00

I was visiting Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site today when I crossed over this tidal river and remembered that I had a photo of it buried in my archives somewhere.

Sure enough there it was! My Ontario colleague, Colin, snapped this pic when we were attending some meetings around the Bay of Fundy awhile back.

Many of Fundy's tidal rivers (or estuaries, if you want to be fancy!) show off interesting sights at low tide when the sea water recedes and the fresh water river lingers beneath.

Every time I see such mud-flanked rivers my mouth waters...their edges look for all the world like creamy chocolate! So be warned: travels around the Bay of Fundy may be hazardous to your waistline...

Kayaking video at Cape Chignecto

2009-05-17T11:20:00.003-03:00

Here's a pretty corner of the Bay of Fundy that's been very popular with hikers for awhile but is also one of the best places to kayak in the region: Cape Chignecto Provincial Park, in Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia.

The folks at Nova Shores Kayak Adventures hosted Reelwater Productions of British Columbia here last fall and ended up with this fabulous footage of kayaking at high tide then walking at low tide of the Three Sisters rock formations off Cape Chignecto Park.

Nova Shores is 'in the water' already for the season (though they have been known to venture out themselves in the winter too - check out this post). Nice and warm here now in Bay of Fundy...!

P.S. check out the whole amazing video "Eastern Horizons: shot by Reelwater in eastern Canada last year!

I love high tide - low tide

2009-05-13T19:20:00.004-03:00

It's that time of year when we're getting tonnes of requests for info about travel to Bay of Fundy. Probably our most common question is: "where do I go to see the tides?". I've made mention of the four tidal effects in a previous blog post (4 ways to see the tides).

Here's a good example of the Vertical tidal effect in Fundy: it's Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia

....nothing like seeing those boats on the ground at low tide then bouncing dockside at high tide to give you the impression of how much water moving through on a given tide cycle.

Eating off the ocean floor

2009-05-11T07:42:00.004-03:00

Perfect beach weather this weekend - er, perhaps not for tanning - but I love these warm misty days for taking pictures. Seeing as it's still early May, I pretty much found the expected number of folks at this beach in Two Islands, Nova Scotia: 2 tourists looking for fossils and one local clammer!

Clams are harvested by hand with a pitch fork in the Parrsboro-Five Islands area from Bay of Fundy's low tide mudflats. It's a simple, if somewhat labour intensive, way of eating from the ocean floor. There is still a Clam Factory in operation seasonally in Five Islands. There it's not uncommon to see dozens of locals participating in the harvest and, of course, fresh clam chowder and fried clams 'n chips on local restaurant menus.