Île aux Perroquets

Baie de Brador, Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon, Quebec

Located at the northern tip of Quebec’s Lower North Shore, Île aux Perroquets is located on the northern side of the Straits of Belle-Isle, in the Baie de Brador, at Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon, Quebec and is one of two islands in the Brador Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary established in 1925. It is Bird. Protection Quebec’s oldest sanctuary, acquired in 1937 for the sum of $185. The island is named after the sizable Atlantic Puffin colony found there. This island is recognised by the government and by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being of “international significance” as a seabird breeding site.

The Island is quite low, rising to at most 15 m above sea level, with an extensive rocky shoreline and low “cliffs” that provide excellent breeding opportunities for a host of seabird species. Vegetation is primarily grass with herbaceous perennials and low shrubs, the soil being calcareous in nature. Surrounding waters are extraordinarily rich in fish and provide important feeding opportunities for Blue, Fin and Humpback Whales plus the Common Porpoise. Local currents are powerful and dangerous – hence the difficulty of landing. In winter, conditions are quite extreme with the surrounding ocean freezing over and a regular battering by storms.

The sanctuary is an eBird hotspot. To see the complete list of species which have been reported, go to https://ebird.org/hotspot/L2995251

Access to the island is restricted, in addition to being very difficult to achieve. Landing on the island is wholly dependent on currents, tides and the availability of a willing boatman who knows the waters. During the nesting season, landing on the island is only possible by requesting and receiving an authorization permit. The best opportunity to observe birds on and around the island is achieved along the shore road, where there is a large signpost designating the island as an environmental and ecological resource. A gravel parking lot and a raised viewing platform with a fixed scope have been set up to create a place from which you can watch the birds at a distance. Every five years since 1925 the Canadian Wildlife Service has done a survey/census of birds on the island. A bilingual brochure about the island has been available since 2017 at the Blanc-Sablon Visitor Centre.