Fun little tide video

One thing I absolutely love about the invention of YouTube is how 'real' people can capture a local scene and share it with the world. I recently came across this video of the Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, tidal harbour. If you've caught the new tourism TV ads that I'm in, you may recognize this as the location where those ads were filmed.

Good news for Cape Enrage lighthouse

I've got a bit of a nostalgic and architectural interest in visiting lighthouses anywhere I travel but, being the Bay of Fundy gal, I am also very fond of our many lighthouses. 

We've got some interesting models of lighthouse use/reuse going on here in our Bay, such as the cafe, trails and lightkeeper's guest house at Cape d'Or in Nova Scotia and the tea room, gift shop, rappelling & sea kayaking at Cape Enrage in New Brunswick. 

I was pleased today to hear that plans are in place to develop a long-term business plan for Cape Enrage that would see visitation increase so that it becomes an even more popular Bay of Fundy travel destination. Read more...

Successful winter for Right whales

Researchers report a successful winter for our North Atlantic Right whales that winter south of Bay of Fundy off the coasts of N.Carolina and Virginia. There were 39 new calves birthed this winter and, best news of all there were NO ship-whale collisions reported. Read more in the Daytona Beach news

Looking forward to seeing these whales back in our bay soon!

Springtime seal visits

In Canada we hear lots about the seal populations off the coast of our neighbouring east coast province of Newfoundland but there are actually many seals to be found in the Bay of Fundy. Grey seals (pictured here) and Harbour seals live here all year long and, at this time of year, the Bay is home to Harp seals and occasionally Hooded seals when they drop by to have their pups.

Of these four seals, only the number of harbour seals is declining; the other three are on a bold increase - to the point that they are in danger of threatening populations of other fish. There are an estimated 300,000 grey seals in the region, 5 to 6 million harp seals and about 500,000 hooded seals.

Contrary to their cute puppy-dog faces, seals are actually quite agressive - they are OK to view basking along Fundy shoals but only from a distance!

(see last year's post showing the repatriation of a Grey seal that had 'walked' 10 km in shore)

Fundy Trail expansion announced

Great news on the Bay of Fundy outdoor adventure front this week: an additional $10 million was announced yesterday to further extend one of the Bay of Fundy's best coastal trails, the Fundy Trail Parkway in New Brunswick. The park currently consists of 14 km of hiking/cycling trails that run parallel to a low-speed coastal roadway. This funding announcement will enable an additional 5 more kilometres to be built; getting it that much closer to joining up with Fundy National Park (then 19 km away).

The Fundy Trail Parkway has opened up a truly breathtaking section of the Bay of Fundy's dramatic tidal coastline, providing views that rival the Cabot Trail and the Icefield Parkway between Jasper and Banff. The new section will be dotted with scenic lookouts and beach access points to provide a more interactive and accessible visitor experience. Check out Fundy Trail's website for more info.

Summer camp: Fundy style!

Like most parents, I've sent my kids off to variously-themed summer camps over the years. Recently, I discovered the perfect summer camp for nature types, ages 10 to 17: The Whale Camp on Bay of Fundy's Grand Manan Island! The camps are 1 to 3 weeks long and run all summer. Activities include sailing on a 50-foot Schooner, research and exploration of whales and their habitat, plus the usual outdoor activities of hiking, sea kayaking and bonfires.

The camps also appear to be offered for adult groups upon request. Cool! Check out these photos from previous camps!

Images from the real Isle Haute

Of all the 450+ posts I've made on this blog, one of the most popular with my readers was the post I made last fall about Isle Haute (a small isolated island in the upper part of the Bay of Fundy where the bay splits into Chignecto and Minas Basins). It seemed I wasn't the only person with a 'crush' on this mysterious island that floats out there so visible but not so accessible from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia shores of the Bay of Fundy.

Imagine my delight today when I came across Brian Grant-Paul's Explore Nova Scotia website with it's exquisite insights and images about many corners of our Bay, including Isle Haute. Check out Brian's photos (use with permission) of the island's vertical basalt cliffs and its low-tide-only sandbar, plus more pics on his blog.

Now,more than ever, actively looking for someone with a boat to take me out there this summer!

Another Bay of Fundy book - this one for kids!

I've never owned a TV so that's freed up lots of time to explore my region and do a lot of reading! It will be no surprise then that I've combined the two interests with a collection of books and poetry about the Bay of Fundy. Here's another fun children's book: Return to the Sea by Heidi Jardine Stoddart.

In some ways it's a typical summer tale: young girl heads to the Maritime provinces from Ontario on holiday with her family. But she has a delightful sense of wonder about her experience with the Fundy tides... and I always enjoy reading about that!

(note for my U.S. readers: Canadians refer to the east coast provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI as 'the Maritimes')

Making Maple Taffy

It won't be long now 'til 'Sugar Season' is over (usually mid- to late-April) but you'll be relieved to know that maple syrup can still be found year round in grocery stores and farm markets throughout the region.

There are a few maple treats, however, that are only available during maple season ...introducing my favourite: maple taffy. The 'recipe' for maple taffy is:

• boil maple syrup to a higher temperature than required for syrup (238 degrees F)
• pour it off onto a prepared bed of fresh snow (crushed ice will do in a pinch!)
  
• twirl a small wooden stick (popsicle stick works well) around a section of taffy. Several people can surround the snow and do this at once!!
• eat!
  

The snow cools the hot syrup quickly results in a clear, sticky mapley toffee, or, as maple families such as ours call it: taffy. Warning: it's a tooth filling-removing kinda activity....