We are up and ready to walk into town and catch the 9 AM boat to the Island. The boat first travels out to Perce Rock then fully circles Bonaventure Island before dropping us off at the Park Entrance. On the boat ride which is a bit rough we travel close to Perce Rock then get views of the nesting Northern Gannets along the cliffs of the Island. Once dropped off on the Island we undergo an orientation briefing then head out on the two and a half km hike to the colony.
Northern Gannets are weird birds in many ways. Over the ocean they are amazing fliers and successful hunters of fish with arrowlike dives into the water from 100 yards above. On land they are somewhat awkward and even more awkward in their attempts to land on the ground. During the nesting season the only thing they focus on is their nest site and fishing. It is as if nothing else in the world exists for them. Each nest site consists of mostly bare ground with a bit of dried grass and is approximately a square foot in size. If an intruder ventures into their nest site they fiercely fight off the intruder be it another Northern Gannet or even their own chick if somehow the chick had gotten out of the nest site and is now returning. If a neighbor is beyond the one square foot then they are fine. They do not care about anything outside their one square foot. Thus, to view the nesting colony there is a rope fence that people can go up to but not beyond. Five feet away is the nesting colony. The birds are jaw dropping in how close you can get and they totally ignore you.
We stay with the colony for four hours observing and photographing then start the 45 minute hike back to the boat. Wells is weighed down with many pounds of camera equipment but it is so worth it. Once back in Perce we grab a late lunch then head back to our camper. Tonight’s dinner, a delightful salad.
Seeing North America 
Wow!
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