Grand Manan, NB & Perce, Gaspe, QC. September 2005 Photo Gallery by golfpic at pbase.com

Grand Manan, NB & Perce, Gaspe, QC. September 2005

Took a trip to Grand Manan, New Brunswick to photograph the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale which now number only about 300-400. Went up to Ile Bonaventure to see the largest Gannet colony in North America. Ile Bonaventure is just a short boat ride from Perce, Quebec in the Gaspesie.

Beth J. Harpaz writes this about the gannets on Ile Bonaventure: "The seasonal inhabitants of this island are noisy. And smelly. And they come by the thousands, with their offspring and their strange customs. They are gannets -- downy, cream-colored seabirds. Each year between April and October, 100,000 of them take up residence on Ile Bonaventure, a tiny picture-perfect island in northeastern Quebec's Gaspe region. They form the largest gannet colony in North America and the second-largest in the world (the other is in Scotland). Even if you don't consider yourself a birdwatcher, and even if you've never heard of gannets, the spectacle they create is unforgettable."

North Atlantic Right Whale swimming toward our boat in the Bay of Fundy	North Atlantic Right Whale fluke	Right Whale courtship	Right Whale	Right Whale courtship
North Atlantic Right Whale pair	North Atlantic Right Whales frolicking. "It's an orgy!", shouted the ships mate.	North Atlantic Right Whale. Close-up of tail area.	Sunrise on Grand Manan	Right Whale watching
Right Whale	Humpback Whale flipper	Skull of a Humpback Whale	Northern Gannet --- close-up	Territorial defence
Largest colony of gannets in North America and second largest in the world	Mates preen each other for the pleasurable feeling	Sunrise at Perce Rock in the Gaspe, Quebec.	Northern Gannets line the cliffs of Ile Bonaventure island	Northern Gannet
A couple of bird watchers take in the Gannets	North Atlantic Right Whale	One of the park's interpreters on Ile Bonaventure	"Monsieur, may I borrow your shirt to clean my glasses?"	Long Eddy Point Lighthouse
North Atlantic Right Whale in the fog	Soak up the sun	Northern Gannets in flight	Northern Gannet	A young Northern Gannet
	Northern Gannet --- close up	Northern Gannet	Northern Gannet	The "Gannet Whisperer"
North Atlantic Right Whale	Northern Gannet	The bond between parent and young is strong	Northern Gannet	Northern Gannet
Flight over water		Right Whale breaching	Getting ready to disembark Grand Manan ferry