Bay of Fundy Mud Drum Workshop

I wish I lived a little closer to the Canada - U.S. border that enters the Bay of Fundy at St Stephen, New Brunswick. There's a fun 8-week workshop starting tomorrow at the Cobscook Community Learning Centre over the border in Trescott, Maine:From Mud to Music - Making & Playing Musical Instruments From Clay. The class will be instructed by Connie Harter-Bagley, master potter and owner of Clay of Fundy Studio. Participants will create clay instruments such as drums, ocarinas and flutes, and will learn to play them. Course includes clay, glazes, firing and one goatskin drum head.

I've been playing the djembe (african drum) for about 2 years and would love to make my own drum from Bay of Fundy mud! Well, perhaps I'll have to get myself down there this summer if they re-offer Mud to Music.

Earth Hour around the Bay of Fundy

There's been much news coverage in recent weeks about Earth Hour. This initiative originated in Australia last year, and, thanks to reach of the web, blossomed into a worldwide event. Starting at 8pm local time tonight, folks in cities, towns & countries all around the world will turn off their lights & otherwise lower their energy consumption for one hour to acknowledge their awareness of climate change and their commitment to energy conservation. I think it's a great initiative; anything that makes us think more about our personal responsibility to reduce energy consumption is a good thing.

Tonight, between 8 & 9 pm, I'll be walking down to my local Bay of Fundy harbour to see the high tide. I often walk to the beach at dusk but tonight (and from now on) I'll make a point to unplug all appliances, turn off all lights, and even switch off my computer before going. I've heard from many friends and colleagues around the Bay that they'll be doing something similar. For example, the Fundy city of Moncton's skyline (see photo) will darken for Earth Day. Perhaps next year I can engage my enthusiastic blog readers in the region to help initiate a more formal Bay-wide Earth Day challenge!

If you'd like to tell the rest of the world that you're participating in Earth Hour, visit the Earth Hour website.

What's in a Name?

Here's a commonly asked question: where did the Bay of Fundy get its name? It turns out that there are three possible sources (or perhaps it's a combo deal).

1.The name "Fundy" could date back to the 16th century when Portuguese fishermen referred to the bay as "Rio Fundo" or "deep river". Aptly named ... to these early visitors Fundy would have seemed like a massive and mysterious river that flowed in both directions!

2. "Fundy" may have evolved from the name given the bay by early French explorers & cartographers (in 1604): "Baie François" (meaning "French Bay").

3. Or possibly the name is a version of the French word "Fendu", meaning "split". One of the most impressive outcroppings on the bay is still called "Cape Split" (see photo).

Btw, the correct pronounciation of Fundy is "fŭn'dē", not "fun-day".

Angling for Striped Bass

One of our other fine little fishes around the Bay of Fundy is striped bass. These are highly prized fish by anglers because of their feisty nature and size. Striped bass grow up to 100 cm long and can live for up to 30 years.

As with any sport or recreational fishing activity, there are strict rules and regulations to follow when angling for striped bass. The daily bag limit is one striped bass, 68 cm (26.8 inches) in length or longer measured from the tip to the nose to the tip of the tail.

Anglers can fish striped bass year round in the tidal waters of the Bay of Fundy. As a general rule, angling for striped bass in the inland waters of Nova Scotia begins April 1 and is permitted as long as a fishing season is open in those waters for trout, salmon, landlocked salmon or smallmouth bass. In the inland waters of New Brunswick draining into the Bay of Fundy, the season is open from April 15 to Oct. 15.

Strict management measures implemented by DFO more than a decade ago have resulted in increased numbers of striped bass, particularly in the Bay of Fundy. If you have any questions regarding seasonal closures or rules and regulations for angling striped bass, contact Department of Fisheries & Oceans.

The Bay of Fundy Living Beach

Due to our persistently snowy weather, it's been a couple months since I visited one of my favourite Bay of Fundy beaches. When I arrived there today I discovered that a fine, sandy beach had replaced last summer's rocky beach!

I was reminded of a favourite book, The Living Beach. I devoured this book when in came out in '98 and haven't looked at beaches the same way since.

When I was a kid here on the Bay of Fundy I remember a sense of anticipation every spring: how would a certain beach look after the winter winds waned and ice cakes evaporated? Would it be a pebble or cobble beach this year? A shale beach? Sandy? Strewn with large boulders and thick layers of wrack? Would a sandbar have shifted or a mud flat been created?

After reading The Living Beach, I realized that beaches are living ecosystems; they shift and adapt constantly to various conditions; they are constantly influenced by wind, erosion, and, in Fundy's case, are significantly impacted by the daily ebb and flow of about 100 billion tonnes of water.

I'm more observant, respectful and accepting of Fundy's annual spring beachscapes now - these simple surprises are one of the secret joys of living here.

(The Living Beach, by Nova Scotian, Silver Donald Cameron is available in video or book format.)

Visions of summer on the Bay

Winter should soon be wrapping up around the Bay of Fundy. Unlike our snowless winter last year, it's been a particularly stormy one this year - should make for voluminous blossoms in our gardens this summer. Here's a fun set of photos of the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal. It's hard to imagine a pergola changing this much from season to season!

All about the chocolate

Lest you think we are all about smoked salmon, sardines, dulse, blueberries, and wine here around the Bay of Fundy, I'd like to point out that we are also home Canada's oldest Chocolatier: Ganongs (founded in 1873). The Ganong Chocolate Museum in St Stephen, New Brunswick, is currently undergoing a $400,000 expansion to enhance its facilities and chocolate making demonstrations as well as to make more space for groups and bus tours. If you're driving to the Bay of Fundy region from Maine, USA, at the Calais border crossing be sure to plan for this sweet stop in St Stephen. (Photo is Ganong's awesome ginger chocolates)...yummmm!

Inside Swallowtail Lightkeeper's House

Here's a closer exterior pic and a sneak peek at the interior of the Swallowtail Lightkeeper's house - not exactly a real estate agent's panoramic tour but you can certainly see some typical features of lightkeepers' houses of this vintage: hardwood floors & trim throughout and double hung windows. This Bay of Fundy architectural gem appears to be in great shape on the inside.

Friends who successfully operate another Bay of Fundy lighthouse (Cape Enrage) sent these photos. Perhaps the new owners of Swallowtail could use Cape Enrage as a project model: it's a registered charity that employs more than two dozen high school and university students operating it as a seasonal tea room, gift shop and adventure centre. Last year Cape Enrage was honoured by Frommer's Travel Guides as one of seven "Best Views" in Canada.

Dream of Living in a Bay of Fundy Lightkeeper's House?

This is seems to be the winter of Bay of Fundy dream opportunities. I mentioned last month that a Bay of Fundy clam diggers license was for sale on Kijiji and now I've heard that the Swallowtail lightkeeper's house on Grand Manan Island is for sale!

The actual lighthouse, which sits on a spit of land on the north head of Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy, was built in 1858. Following the automation of the lighthouse in 1986, the municipality leased out the adjacent keeper's house for use as a bed and breakfast. Apparently, upkeep on former lightkeeper's home is becoming too financially burdensome for the small island so it's soon to be listed with a real estate agent. A neat opportunity for a lighthouse-lovin' someone to preserve and enjoy this wonderful Fundy landmark.

Hopefully, the lighthouse itself will still remain accessible to visitors - it's one of the most scenic and most photographed spots on the Bay of Fundy! The lightkeeper's house is pictured to the right of the lighthouse.
(If any Fundy readers have a closer photo, I'd love to see it.)

Vertical tidal effect on a Bay of Fundy pier

Here's a great little time-lapse video of the tides going up and down against a wharf. It's by Fred MacDonald of Great Circle Pictures (who is across the bay from me in the Annapolis Valley region of Fundy). Fred's been documenting Fundy's amazing tidal effects in high definition film for the past year and has some never-seen-before footage. Take a look at some samples on his website - great stuff!

Twice a day this is typical sight at coastal communities all around the Bay of Fundy. Remember, in reality, it takes our massive tides 6 hrs 13 minutes to go from high to low (or vice versa).

Some of my favorite Fundy tidal harbours where you can experience this include:
(in New Brunswick) St Andrews, Blacks Harbour, St Martins, Alma
(in Nova Scotia) Advocate, Parrsboro, Halls Harbour, Harbourville, Margaretsville

Bay of Fundy Gingered Scallops

Last week I espoused the virtues of both Bay of Fundy scallops and our cherished flavour, ginger. No surprise then that I'd be inclined to combine them for a great result. Here's a favourite recipe from The Joy of Ginger cookbook (written by two gals from the region).

Foil-Baked Scallops with Ginger, Mushrooms & Water Chestnuts
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 c green onion, sliced thin
1 tsp (or more) grated fresh ginger
1 tsp lemon zest
1 c sliced mushrooms
1/3 c thinly sliced water chestnuts
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt & fresh pepper to taste
1. tsp toasted sesame oil (plus more for brushing foil)
3/4 lb Digby scallops, halved horizontally
1 Tbsp fresh coriander
-------------
Cook garlic over med. heat in skillet for 1 min. Add green onion, ginger & zest. Cook while stirring for 1 minute. Add mushrooms & water chestnuts, cook, stirring for 2-3 min. or until all mushroom liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon juice, salt & pepper.

Cut 2 pieces fo 12 x 20 inch foil, fold each in half (shiny side in) by bringing the short ends together. Unfold each pieces, brush centre with additional oil. Arrange half the scallops, just to one side of the fold line and top with the veg mixture. Sprinke with 1/2 tsp oil and 1 1/2 tsp coriander. Fold edges together to form sealed packets.

Bake packets in a baking sheet, mid-oven at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Transfer packets to plates, slit them open, disgard the foil. Serve with bread, rice or soba noodles.

Whitetail Deer Are Everywhere!

We've experienced more snow than usual around the Bay of Fundy this winter possibly accounting for the voluminous numbers of whitetail deer emerging out of the forest in search of food. This year deer can frequently be seen in broad daylight along the roadside, on people's lawns, and in farmer's fields. In recent weeks so many deer were crossing coastal Route 2, near Portaupique, that a travel hazard advisory was issued on Nova Scotia radio and TV stations!

Artist & jeweler, Gwen Buchanan, who lives across the Bay from me in St Martins, New Brunswick, captured this great photo of whitetail deer frolicking in her back yard.

Sussex Golden Ginger Ale - a Fundy original!

While I'm on the topic of ginger & the Bay of Fundy, you may be interested to know that our easy access to ginger in the late 1800s resulted in several ginger ale bottling plants popping up throughout the region.

Ginger ale comes in two varieties: golden ginger ale and dry ginger ale. Golden ginger ale, dark colored and strong flavored, is the older style. Dry ginger ale was developed during prohibition when ginger ale was used as a mixer for alcholic beverages because the strong flavor of golden ginger ale was undesirable. Dry ginger ale quickly surpassed golden ginger ale in popularity, and today golden ginger ale is an uncommon, and usually regional, drink.

Although I'm not sure that fresh ginger's many health benefits translate to soda pop, we all grew up having it prescribed for many childhood illnesses (flat, de-fizzed ginger ale if you were really sick!). Well, at the very least, it cheered us up by tasting great!

I'm delighted to report that there is still one Golden ginger ale available here that originated here: in the town of Sussex, New Brunswick. If you find yourself visiting the Bay of Fundy, look for Sussex Golden Ginger Ale in all corner stores!

Introducing Ginger .... a Bay of Fundy Favourite!

Ginger came to the Bay of Fundy during the great Age of Sail in the late 1700s/early 1800s when ships from our harbours regularly voyaged to the Caribbean and other ginger-growing areas of the world. Although ginger doesn't grow in our temperate climate it's maintained a close association with our region for generations.

Historically, dry ginger was used as a preservative, medicine and food spice by early immigrants from France and the U.K. Eventually ginger (in powdered, preserved and candied forms) found its way into breads, pies, cakes, marmalades, baked beans, ginger chocolates and even ice cream. As I child I didn't often encounter fresh ginger but I'm sure early tasting favourably disposed me later toward ethnic meals which feature ginger as a central ingredient. Now I use ginger in its many forms - traditional, new and zany.

Speaking of zany... if you're a ginger fan, check out the really great ginger products offered by The Ginger People. These folks are in Australia and California but, truly, produce some of the best ginger products on the planet! Gins-gins and other GP treats are available in many locations around the Bay of Fundy or online. (image of the Ginger Guy borrowed from the Ginger People website!)

Tips for Cooking Digby Scallops

Eeeeeek, I can't believe I've been Bay of Fundy blogging for a year and a half yet haven't shared my enthusiasm for Digby scallops. Digby, at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy on the Nova Scotia side, is world famous for its scallop fishery. Restaurants, fish markets and grocery stores across Canada and parts of the U.S. pride themselves in selling fresh and flash frozen Digby scallops. When buying for home use be sure to purchase either fresh or uncooked frozen scallops. (Pre-cooked frozen scallops are woody and dry).

Our sea scallops may be a bit bigger than others you've previously encountered but they're even more tender and flavourful. One of most common way we locals like to cook them is sliced (to even up the sizes) then fried in butter with minced fresh garlic and a bit of lemon juice squeezed over top. If you like your scallops to brown when cooked pat dry the moisture (with paper towel) on the raw scallops before frying them.

Be really careful not to overcook them. If sliced, they'll only take a minute or so to fry on medium heat. If whole, count on about 2 minutes per side. Overcook 'em and they'll be tough and stringy. (Give them to your dog or the seagulls and start all over - it's not worth it!)

Fox Point

Not unlike city subdivisions various geographic outcroppings of the Bay of Fundy often end up with evocative nature-names. I recently took this photo of Fox Point in Nova Scotia. The top side of the fox tail-shaped beach edges the bay; the inner side actually shelters a tidal river that fully empties at low tide.

The tide turned about an hour before I took this photo (you can tell by the band of bare beach around the end of the 'tail" below the snow line). This particular beach is connected to the mainland at the far right and never gets fully covered by the tide.

Important Job for Fundy Innkeeper's Dog

I've been keen to add more posts to my blog's "Fundy dogs" category so you can imagine my delight when I received this great story from the operators of Inn on the Cove in Saint John.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers are one of the few Canadian dog breeds that truly love to work. My wife Willa and I work our dog as part of our Inn and Spa on the edge of the Bay of Fundy. He can’t do the yard work or clean the rooms but he welcomes guests with a friendly smile and does an even more important task each day. Especially when lashing rain and heavy winds beat across the bay we rely on ‘Pilot’ to do a task that few volunteer to do. On the command “get mum’s newspaper”, he dashes to the front of the property, stands on hind legs and pulls the newspaper from the box. Grabbing it securely he runs back to the Inn. Once inside he proudly prances about showing everyone that the morning paper has arrived. He then drops it at our feet and sits pretty for a well deserved dog treat.

Some years back when we had tour groups dropping in several times a week for tea and scones, our Toller was the main attraction. He always got a round of applause from the groups gathered at the front of the inn to see him get the paper. He loved the accolades. One day after getting the same paper four times for four different groups, I had a couple of guests who want to see him perform again. On command he ran from the Inn toward the paper box but quickly stopped. There was no crowd gathered waiting to applaud. He looked around apparently disappointed and slowly returned without the paper. Actors: they’re all fickle!

~ Ross Mavis, Inn on the Cove

Curious Grey Seal Rescue

I'm not sure who was more curious during this recent rescue: the rescuers or the rescuee. Last Sunday a large grey seal was spotted hiking along the roadside on highway 2 about 10 km north of the Bay of Fundy. Although it is not uncommon for seals to take a landward jaunt it was quickly determined that this seal would fare better back in its saltwater home.

Several local folk came to the rescue; a fisheries officer worked with fishermen and RCMP officers to lure the seal safely onto a tarpaulin. The adult seal (about 6 ft long and 400 lbs) was then lifted into a tractor bucket and returned to the Parrsboro harbour by a local farmer. Once at the beach the rescuers released the seal into the harbour.

Much to the delight of a newly assembled crowd of well-wishers the seal appeared not to have suffered from its excursion. It swam calmly for about 15 minutes in the inner harbour before heading out into the open waters of the bay.

Snow-capped Flower Pot

We seem to specialize in weird coastal rock formations around the Bay of Fundy. As you can imagine, 100 billion tonnes of sea water moving in and out of the Bay 2x per day has a significant impact on our coast. In areas of the Bay where sandstone is predominant the tides literally sculpt interesting shapes such as these 'flower pots' (as the locals call 'em). Clearly, this spruce-topped formation was once part of the adjacent mainland now about 100 feet away. This particular flower pot is located in Soley Cove near Bass River, Nova Scotia.

Fundy's best known flower pots are Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick. The Rocks has great coastal walking trails, an interpretive centre showing how these formations are created, and easy coastal access for walking around the flower pots at low tide (see footer photo at the bottom of my blog) or kayaking around them at high tide.

What best-dressed Fundy folk are wearing this year...

A flounder boat T-shirt, of course!

I've mentioned in some of my art posts how the Bay of Fundy inspires creativity amongst citizens and visitors but this is the first time I've heard of a Fundy fishing trip inspiring T-shirt design. Apparently a flounder fishing on the Bay last summer by some folks from Pennsylvania resulted in the creation of this great T-shirt!

Now available to order should you want follow Fundy couture...

Tide out: ice-glazed mud

I'm still adjusting to my new camera but there's one feature I liked immediately - the high res optical zoom. Previously, great little coves like this were tricky to capture; this is Diligent River harbour at half tide. That's ice-glazed mud in the foreground, a flat band of receding tide across the middle and, of course, Cape Split in the background...about 10 km across the mighty Minas Channel (proposed tidal energy zone in the upper Bay of Fundy).

Bay of Fundy Ice Pebbles

When exploring the Bay of Fundy coast it's important to look down at the beach as well as out at the view. While I busily snapped away at the scenery earlier this week, my dog snuffled along the wrack line left by the receding tide.

Wrack is a great place to find little treasures - sea glass, shells, starfish amid the assorted flotsam. This time the wrack line produced something I'd never seen before: ice pebbles! Initially I thought they were bits of opaque white sea glass but, when my dog began eating them I kinda clued in. (Belle usually explores the beach with a large rock in her mouth but never swallows it!). I hope you can catch the cool contrast of the ice pebbles, the sea shells and the tumbled beach stones in this blog-sized photo.

Bay of Fundy clam license for sale

In case you've ever fancied trying your hand at commercial clam harvesting in the Bay of Fundy, you will be pleased to know that a clam license has just been posted for sale on KiJiJi. Lobster licenses sell for millions here on the Bay of Fundy, however, your foray into commercial clamming will cost a mere $1000. A caution though: it's terrifically hard work, wildly muddy and your schedule is commanded by the tide times...but, look at the bright side, you'd get to be at the bay every day!

'Countryside' in the Bay of Fundy

It seems reasonably easy to describe the Bay of Fundy in the blue, green, gold and red weather months. However, winter often goes unappreciated by those of us who live here and undiscovered by visitors. Personally, I'm mesmerized by winter around the Bay of Fundy - so many great conditions for taking photos. Any of you who play around in the photography scene would appreciate the leaden sea, snow burdened spruces, ice cakes and daily transformations of the intertidal zone.

Here's my b&w photo of a charming farmstead nestled in the Cobequid Escarpment (half way down Economy Mountain in the Minas Basin).

The Season For Strange Lobster

If you thought the blue Bay of Fundy lobster I mentioned last month was cool, take a look at this one just caught...her left side is green but her right is orange! It’s as if she was painted two colours from the centre of her body outward.

For sure this little two-toned gal is a rare, so rare that despite being too small for the official dinner table catch, she landed herself a special one-way ticket to a research aquarium at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

The chances are about 1 in 30 million that a two-toned lobster (caused by genetics) will be hauled up in a trap. This one will be kept in an aquarium at BIO, where school classes and other groups can come to see her.

High to low Bay of Fundy tide in 55 seconds

In an effort to help folks figure out how this whole Bay of Fundy tide thing works, I've found myself collecting both high/low photo sets and time lapse videos. I know...most people collect stamps or spoons, but hey, each to her or his own. I did some surfing on YouTube this weekend and located this great little time lapse video taken last summer from a great clifftop vantage point. It really gives a sense of the volume of water moving into the bay on one tide cycle. Take notice particularly at the end when the Bay appears to be filling up like a bathtub! Click on these links or use the side menu to see more videos or high-low pics.

Prestigious Honour for Bay of Fundy Towns

I just heard that two of our Bay of Fundy towns placed in the top five in a national competition..... Oh, what's the competition, you ask? Well, it was the Environment Canada challenge for foggiest Canadian towns/cities...

This is no small feat, I can assure you. It took 30 years of data to compile this comprehensive list of weather winners. Only communities with populations of at least 10,000 were eligible (which rules out the many other foggy Fundy towns who would have easily been contenders!). Our Saint John, New Brunswick, and Truro, Nova Scotia, ranked 3rd and 5th respectively. Congrats!

Bay of Fundy Tidal Energy News

Looks like the Bay of Fundy, already a magnet for fossil hunters, will soon be more involved in the global quest for fossil-fuel alternatives. The Premier of Nova Scotia just announced that a tidal power demonstration project will proceed (pending a full environmental assessment). To say this will make waves on the international scene is no exaggeration. That’s because the Bay of Fundy is blessed with some of the most robust tides in the world. Hopefully, the good news will be that we are no longer dealing with dams that damage ecosystems but with the equivalent of wind turbines that churn underwater. Photo shows demo CleanTech in-stream turbine, one of the candidate companies for the project.

Twelve million dollars will now be dedicated to building a testing and research facility that will serve two purposes: the beachhead where the energy gathered by the underwater turbines is converted to electricity and a research lab where scientists will gauge the environmental, technical and commercial feasibility of harnessing the Bay of Fundy tides. It's my understanding that there is also supposed to be some kind of interpretive centre for visitors.

If it all works out, the Bay of Fundy could be transformed into an internationally significant centre of excellent for tidal power.

Fundy Tidal Power Annoucement Today!

The Premier of Nova Scotia and the Provincial Energy Minister are coming to Parrsboro today for a press conference about tidal energy. I'm kinda thinking that they are going announce which companies have been chosen to build a tidal power demonstration devices in Minas Channel area of the Bay of Fundy.

I just happen to have this handy-dandy photo of the entrance to the channel as the diplay pic on my desktop. I took this last summer at half-tide. That's Cape Blomidon in the background and the edge of Partridge Island there in the middle with the tree topping. The Channel runs between them

The Minas Basin and Minas Channel have been regarded as prime North American sites for tidal power production. Click here for an aerial view of the Minas Channel or for more info take a look at my other posts in the tidal energy section of my blog (see menu in the margin).

Watch A Mussel Grow Webcam

OK, this is really cool. The folks at FlexMussels in our neighbouring province of Prince Edward Island have a great website feature: a web cam that follows the growth of, ahem, a blue mussel. Since we also harvest mussels around the Bay of Fundy, I thought I'd make an exception to my unofficial all-things-Bay-of-Fundy blog rule and give you a chance to take a look at the little fella, here's the web cam link. Remember: patience is a virtue...

You may know by know that I'm a huge mussel fan. I see a foodie trip to PEI in my future... Check out some of my previous recipe posts: Mussels with Ginger Pesto, Blue Cheese Mussels, Green Thai Curry Mussels, Spiced Beer Mussels and Mussels Panagea.

Happy New Year from the Bay of Fundy!

Frosty winter photo from our friend and photographer, Trish, at the Annapolis Historic Garden. Happy New Year!

Humpback Whale Rescued in Bay of Fundy

Although entanglements in fishing gear are still one of the most frequent causes of whale injury and death, there was a bit of good news this week in the Bay of Fundy. A humpback whale is swimming free after it was disentangled from fishing gear in a daring high-seas rescue.

A rescue mission was launched after a fisherman called in to report a humpback trapped in lobster-fishing gear off Grand Manan Island. Fears that the whale may have drowned (since the gear in which it was wrapped was anchored to the bottom) were unfounded once the team of fisheries officers and whale experts arrived on the scene.

Fortunately, there was enough slack in the ropes to allow the whale to breathe at the surface.
Rescuers worked on the docile whale for about an hour, cutting the ropes and completely freeing it from the fishing gear. Phew...one happy ending to an often tragic tale!

Bay of Fundy U.F.O.?

Well, this has to be a first...the first time I've ever heard of a U.F.O. over the Bay of Fundy! Bay-side residents of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Maine reported seeing 'strange lights in the sky' last week. At first there was concern that a plane had crashed in the bay, but a quick search by the U.S. Coastguard revealed that was not the case. Ten minutes after a rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida an expendable fuel tank separated and dropped into the Bay. Although about 100 miles off the coast, this seemed a bit too close in my estimation...we've got lobster boats and other vessels in the Bay of Fundy at this time of year! Luckily nothing but the water was hit.

Humpback Whale & Calf film on Animal Planet

Not owning a TV can sometimes make it tricky for me to catch the odd film of interest. Here's one that's definitely worth a trip to the neighbor's: Animal Planet's 70 minute Humpback Whale documentary chronicling the migration of a Humpback Whale and her calf.

The film, Ocean Voyagers, follows their epic journey from the waters off Polynesia where the calf is born to Antarctica. Additional footage was shot in the Bay of Fundy, Gulf of Maine, Hawaii, Newfoundland, and Alaska. Humpbacks, thought to have cruised the earth's oceans for millions of years, tend to follow a regular migration route which takes them from a summer in temperate (Bay of Fundy) and polar waters to winters in tropical waters for mating and calving. There's lots of 'never seen before' footage in this new film, airing on Animal Planet on Dec. 16.

Bay of Fundy Blue Lobster Caught

It's lobster season again around most of the Bay of Fundy. This week a Bay of Fundy fisherman was in for a surprise when he pulled his lobster traps: one of the occupants was blue! True, lobstermen everywhere occasionally catch blue, speckled or even white lobsters. What makes this fella special is that he's unusually big for a blue lobster - about 4 lbs.

Interestingly, blue lobsters still turn bright red when you cook them and they taste the same as other lobster. No one will be eating this one for Christmas dinner; the workers at the fish plant aren't going to sell him. He'll hang around in the fish tank for everyone's amusement instead.

Another Bay of Fundy book

Well, OK, this book, Ebb & Flow, isn't precisely about the Bay of Fundy but it is about tides and it's written by a Canadian: Tom Koppel! I'd heard about this book but had a bit of trouble tracking it down (turns out it was for sale on Chapters after all...I had searched the title incorrectly). Oops

I did track down Tom on the West Coast of Canada though. Here's part of Tom's note back to me:

Hi Terri, Thanks for getting in touch...There is really a lot in the book about the Fundy tides, shorelines, biology, history and science, as you will see when you get it. You probably do not know this, but after my wife and I visited Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to research the Fundy tides, I also wrote several travel feature articles about the Bay that appeared in 2006 in Australia's top daily paper, as well as the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, and in the Boston Herald.

Tom's book, Ebb & Flow: Tides and Life on Our Once and Future Planet, weaves together three grand narratives, exploring how tides impact coasts and marine life, how they have altered human history and development, and how science has striven to understand the surprisingly complex way in which tides actually work.

Check it out on Chapters.ca. Looks like I'm going to have a lot of reading to do over the holidays!

Bay of Fundy Xmas Book

I've previously profiled other Bay of Fundy publications on my blog already (see Fundy book tab on the sidebar) but I just came across a new one about the tides and how they work.... Beyond the Moon: A Conversational, Common Sense Guide to Understanding the Tides.

It retails for about $74, not sure why so expensive - it must be really good!

I hope to find out! I've put it on my Christmas list so when I get it, I'll read it and post a 'review' here on my blog. I have an ocean's depth of interest in learning more about the tides!

Take a look at this book on Chapters.ca.

Bay of Fundy quilted lighthouse

As I've mentioned in previous posts, the Bay of Fundy continues to inspire all kinds of creativity among its artsier residents and visitors. The ocean floor endlessly fascinates photographers, our sea creatures inspire potters, wind and waves inspire authors, and cliffscapes inspire painters.

I just came across a quilter whose recent visit to our region resulted in this fabulous quilted lighthouse "post card". Featured here is West Quoddy Lighthouse, located on the easternmost point of the USA, near Lubec, Maine....technically at the very opening of the Bay of Fundy. Here's a note from the artist:

I absolutely fell in love with Maine when I made a trip up there in October. I am determined to go again. 10 days just wasn't enough but it was a great overview. I cried all the way from Lubec to Bangor- no kidding. I hated to leave. It's a powerful place.

So... about the postcards. They are what they say they are. postcards. They measure
4"x6" and you can pop them in the mail and send them on their merry way with a first class stamp. No kidding. They are made entirely of fiber(fabric) and are considered "fiber art." Thanks for your interest! ~ Nines

Nines is located in Indiana, USA...visit her Praire Quilts blog.

Glacial delta exposed!

Now that the pretty leaves have dropped and the blueberry fields have turned from crimson to brown it's the perfect time to look more closely at subtleties of the Bay of Fundy world around us. My home community of Parrsboro, for example, is located on a huge glacial outwash delta that has been carved into four distinct terrace levels. Here's a photo borrowed from the Nova Scotia Dept of Natural Resources. Can you see one of the terraced ridges snaking down the middle? (I've helped you out with the white line on the 2nd pic) Fortunately for us, and the many other post-glacier areas of the Bay of Fundy, these seemingly barren fields turn out to be perfect terrain for wild blueberries. Who knew?

Bald eagle sighting

I suspect you've noticed by now that I'm not much of a birder (yet!) but occasionally something catches my eye, such as these two Bald Eagles. A telephoto lens came in handy for capturing the pair who appeared to be enjoying their panoramic view of the tidal harbour. Did you know that Bald Eagles mate for life and live up to 25 years? If you're interested in taking a look at the rest of Bay of Fundy birding list, try the Grand Manan Whale Research Centre website.

You'd be happy too...

People sometimes ask me why I'd want to live 'way out here' on the Bay of Fundy. It's mornings like this, just on my regular dog walk, with views like this that form my answer. Sure it's just another tidal harbour with the first inklings of ice floating in gently on the incoming tide but wouldn't you be happy too if you saw this view...?

How tiny mud shrimp save Bay of Fundy mud flats

With the amount of water moving in and out of the Bay of Fundy with our tides several times a day, you may well wonder why mud doesn't get constantly sucked out the of Bay. Our small mud shrimp, Corophium voluntator, plays a role here too. I'm certainly no mud scientist but let me try to explain:

-their burrows compact mud flat sediment and actually cement together the particles lining the walls. This has the effect of creating a forest of erosion-resistant chimneys in the mud (see image).
- slightly more indirectly...shorebirds eat copious amounts of shrimp who feed on microscopic diatoms. Diatoms secrete a glue-like substance that makes sediment particles stick together and reduces their likelihood of being swept away by moving water. So by being 'food' for shorebirds, mud shrimp numbers are periodically reduced enabling the diatoms to flourish and strengthen the mud.
- mud shrimp also defend their mudflat habitat from invasion by salt marshes. By eating diatoms they keep the mud surface too unstable for colonizing plants to establish themselves. Constant burrowing and feeding by mud shrimp also buries the seeds of the invaders preventing them from germinating, or uprooting any that do.
Who knew?!

Meet...Corophium volutator

Here's a little friend to the Bay of Fundy who hardly ever gets any mention on Bay of Fundy websites or blogs: corophium volutator.

Corophium volutator (known locally as mud shrimp) are actually not shrimp but a member of a suborder of crustaceans known as amphipods. These fine fellows inhabit the upper layers of mud in the Bay of Fundy and play a vital role in this complex ecosystem.

Corophium keeps a very low profile: so low in fact that until a couple of decades ago Fundy 's mudflats (fully exposed at low tide) were considered lifeless wastelands of little ecological interest. But, as sandpipers have known for ages and scientists have recently learned, if you probe beneath the surface, the mud is home to unbelievably large numbers of these tiny amphipods.

They can occur in huge quantities: up to 40,000 per square metre have been observed. In the Bay of Fundy they are a critically important part of the food chain for migratory birds...more on that in subsequent posts.

For the etymologists in the familly: volutator comes from the Latin volutare, meaning "to wallow". Seems apt for these mud loving creatures!

Fundy Biosphere Reserve news

Now that the Upper Bay of Fundy is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, plans are moving ahead for scientific and educational program development. New Brunswick's Environmental Trust Fund (ETF) is providing $30,000 to get these programs going. This is a great use of our bottle deposit! (Revenue for the ETF comes from about half of the environmental fee that is paid when people buy redeemable beverage containers in New Brunswick.)

I think we are no where near having as much public programming about the Bay of Fundy we should have. The Bay is an amazing place but, due to its diversity, sometimes a bit challenging for both residents and visitors to fully appreciate. Biosphere reserves are often defined as 'living laboratories' where research, monitoring, public education, capacity building and local community involvement contribute to promote sustainable development. This can only improve the Bay experience!