A Bird-Watching Boat Tour on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia-Part 1

I Was Able to Add Quite a Few New Bird Species to My Life List on This Wonderful Boat Tour

Welcome back. I hope you’ve had a chance to catch up on the articles I wrote while on vacation in Maine, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. I wrote 10 articles during our trip and 3 more since we returned. It was a great trip and sparked a writing spree for me. Sometimes as writers, we can get into a rut per se. This trip gave me some new experiences to draw from. As I indicated previously, most of these articles were written on an iPhone in the car and/or hotel room.

One of my articles from our trip included this boat tour we took. However, I didn’t focus too much on the birds we saw since the photos were on my digital camera memory card. I didn’t have my laptop with me on the trip, so I wasn’t able to post the photos while we were still on the road.

To give you background on the boat tour, here is the article I wrote the day after we took the tour near Englishtown, Nova Scotia:

To review, Bird Island Boat Tours is a small family-run business. The tour was well organized and the Captain and crew (his sons) were extremely knowledgeable about the history of the area and the birds.

They took us out and around 2 different islands, slowing the boat down and maneuvering around the rocks to provide the best views possible of the many birds.

And Then There Were Seals

I also recently wrote an article regarding the seals we were able to observe along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton at Green Cove:

On the boat tour, there were seals everywhere. They are fun to watch and relatively easy to photograph. For the most part, they love to sun themselves on the rocks, and they stay still most of the time. Except for the ones peaking their head out of the water.

Birds: The Main Attraction

Following are some of the birds I was able to photograph. My digital camera is by no means a high-quality camera (Nikon Coolpix point-and-shoot camera). It does very well when I photograph birds at home on the bird feeders. However, for situations like the boat tour, a better camera is a must. That said, I was able to get some decent shots.

Have any of you tried to take photos from a small boat? To say it is a challenge is an understatement. I would love to hear any tips you might have regarding getting quality bird photos from a moving boat.

Overall, it was a great experience. Enjoy the photos.

Stay tuned for more photos from this wonderful boat tour.