Local Area Itinerary Service | Camping the Coast | The Bay of Fundy | Facts of the Area

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Geography Lesson:

Canada is the second largest country in the world (only Russia is larger), and Nova Scotia is one of the smallest of the 13 provinces.  Nova Scotia lies east of Maine, and is almost completely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean - only a small piece of land connecting this peninsula to New Brunswick prevents us from being an island!   In Nova Scotia it is impossible to be more than 35 miles (56 km) from the ocean, and most of the land lies relatively close to sea level.  Your campsite may be waterfront or simply within view of the ocean.

Climate Concerns:
 
Our climate here in Nova Scotia is a temperate one, strongly influenced by the ocean which surrounds us.  Overall, our weather is quite similar to New England, and tends to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than other parts of Canada.

• Spring comes a bit late, with temperatures averaging 10-15 degrees Celcius (50 – 65 degrees F) 
• The warm and sunny days of summer bring comfortable temperatures ranging from 20-25 degrees Celcius (70 –85 degrees F).  The evenings are perfect for enjoying your campfire and gazing at the stars
• Our clear and brilliant fall weather brings days in the range of 15 C (60 F), with evening temperatures cooling to about 5 C (40 F).  Here on the Bay of Fundy we seldom have a frost until the middle of October and the clear fall air magnifies the spectacular beauty of our sunsets.

Weather forecasts are available from the Environment Canada Weather Centre at: http://www.ns.ec.gc.ca

Ecosystem: 

Biologists refer to Nova Scotia as part of the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone.  Softwoods such as red spruce, balsam  fir, hemlock and pine make up more than 50% of our trees, accompanied by hardwoods like sugar maple, ash, white elm, and yellow birch.  This mixture of trees is what provides us with brilliant fall foliage displays.

Local wildlife includes whitetail deer, red fox, porcupine, snowshoe hare, skunk, raccoon, lynx, bobcat, and coyote.  However, rabbits, pheasants, and the occasional deer are the only wildlife that visit our campers.  If you want to see the local lynx or bobcat you’ll have to come here during our winter season!

The Bay of Fundy has more shorebirds than anywhere else in the world and hundreds (344) of native species.  The southwest coast of Nova Scotia offers unique opportunities for undisturbed bird watching amidst stunning and unspoiled scenery.  Our geographic position puts us on the migratory flight path of over 30 species.  Millions of migrating shorebirds – defined as those feathered creatures that feed almost exclusively on fish and marine invertebreates - stop briefly in the region to rest and feed.    More than a dozen different species regularly migrate from their Artic breeding grounds to wintering areas in Central and South America, and the Bay of Fundy is approximately halfway along this 5000 Km migratory route.  Common sightings include the Common Snipe, the Semipalmated Sandpiper, and the Dunlin, as well as  Bald Eagles, Artic Terns, Shearwaters, Osprey, common Loons, Northern Gannets, Atlantic Puffins, Black Crowned Night Herons, Great Black-Backed Gulls, and the Double Crested Cormorant.

 We are also fortunate to have large populations of marine life, including most of the Northern Hemisphere's great whales, along with seals, porpoises, dolphins, fin fish, lobsters and scallop.  The Bay of Fundy provides a rich feeding ground for these creatures, and in turn some of them provide a tasty treat for us.  Come enjoy your fill of freshly landed lobsters steamed in salt water and succulent scallops that will spoil you for life.

The Bay of Fundy is also the summer home for more kinds of whales than anywhere else in the world.  Thousands of whales of 17 different species are regular summer visitors to the nutrient-rich feeding grounds here, including the nearly extinct Right Whale.  More common varieties include Humpback, Minke, Pilot, and Finback.  On occasion one of these behemoths visits the cove in front of our campground, but excellent whale watching is available every day in the area.

The intra-tidal zone of our salt water front yard offers another world for exploration.  This zone stretches over many metres and can be explored twice each day as the salt water retreats, or simply wander along the shore and examine the tide pools.   Look for periwinkles (or snails) and limpets, sea stars, crabs, sea urchins, barnacles, whelks, and many varieties of seaweed, lichens and algae.  As the tide recedes, the wharf next to the campground offers an ideal location for walking on the bottom of the ocean!