| |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Enormous whales, belugas and seals are found in the
St. Lawrence River. These marine mammals are drawn by the abundant food found
in these waters, as are the hundreds of thousands birds
living in the area. Fish and shellfish are caught
as food by humans, though quotas are established to prevent overfishing. Did you
know that laws exist to protect endangered animals, plants
and habitats? And there are many fun facts
to learn about the river!
The St. Lawrence River has over 10 000 islands of all sizes, many of which are
uninhabited and serve as a nesting ground for birds, well away from human civilization.
Dozens of species of shore birds are quite content to stay close to home, except
for migratory birds that flock to the marshes by the hundreds of thousands in
the spring and fall.
Island birds
Bird Rock (Rocher aux Oiseaux), a cliff in the
middle of the gulf
Located at the mouth of the St. Lawrence Gulf, 30 km (18 miles) from
the Magdalen Islands, this rocky little island is home to colonies
of aquatic birds, such as Northern gannets and seagulls. The large
number of birds on Bird Rock might have fooled Jacques Cartier into
thinking that the Magdalen Islands were the mainland because the presence
of sea birds usually indicates the shore is nearby.
Great auk
Did you know that countless numbers of great auk used to nest on the
islands in the St. Lawrence when Jacques Cartier arrived in North
America? The great auk did not fear man, was sought out as a source
of food and could be easily killed by a blow with a club. Relentlessly
hunted, the great auk became extinct in less than two hundred years!
Razor-billed auk
Fortunately, the razor-billed auk did not share the same fate as its
larger cousin, the great auk. The razor-billed auk nests on the rocky
islands and islets scattered over the St. Lawrence River and Gulf.
This species of bird is protected, which has allowed the razor-billed
auk population to increase for the past 15 years. And more good news!
A colony of razor-billed auks was established in the Montmagny Archipelago
in 2005, only 40 km (24 miles) from Quebec City!
Atlantic puffin, an exotic bird
Atlantic puffins are found on thousands of islands and islets along
the North Shore. Its brightly coloured beak has earned it the nicknames
"sea parrot" and "clown of the seas".
Down coat for a chilly island
The common eider is a duck much sought for its soft, smooth feathers
known as down. When the female broods her egg, she plucks some of
her feathers to line the nest to help keep the egg warm while she
goes to get some food.
Down is prized because it is a comfortable material very effective
at keeping out the cold. Down is sold by weight; an experienced down
gatherer can earn a sizable amount of money by collecting these feathers.
Expeditions to gather down on the islands on the St. Lawrence, mainly
those between Montmagny and Île Verte, near Tadoussac, was disturbing
the nesting grounds of the common eider.
As the mother duck was already worried about a greedy seagull or sly
fox eating her egg, imagine how she felt when a large crowd of noisy
down gatherers would swarm onto her island home, looting the feathers
she used to line her nest!
Even today, down is still a popular material with outdoor clothing
and equipment manufacturers. But only the Société
Duvetnor, an ecological organization, is allowed to gather down
on the islands in the St. Lawrence today. This organization uses the
profits from the down sold to create bird reserves and sanctuaries
on the islands in the seaway.
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
