TOUR INFO
Parting times, items you need to provide, etc.

PHOTOS
21 photos of Seal Island.

THINGS TO DO
Things you'll find on the island, birding information.

RELATED LINKS
Links to other sites about the island, including a review of one person's trip to Seal Island; local information and island history.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

THINGS TO DO

Bring your camera!  You'll want to take plenty of pictures of the beaches, local wildlife (birds, sheep, seals) and plant life, and of the remains of a wrecked ship on the island.  Some may want to bring binoculars for better bird viewing.  Video cameras would make an even more detailed record of your trip.

Bring a lunch and snacks (and water), as the trip is two hours to the island and two hours back, plus the time you'll spend on the island.   With all there is to see and do, you'll get plenty hungry.

For those who'd like to try a swim in the waters off Seal Island, don't forget your suit and towels for drying off.  A change of dry clothes is also a good idea, just in case.

Built sometime between 1830 and 1831 the Seal Island Lighthouse is 67 feet high.  It is the original lighthouse, although the lantern was replaced in 1978.

The  church that is on the island is always open for viewing. 
 

BIRDING
Shelburne County, Nova Scotia is one of the best birding areas in Canada.  There have been 440 species recorded in Nova Scotia, and Shelburne County offers an excellent place for viewing pelagic birds.   Nova Scotia has 7400 kilometers of coastline and a wide variety of ecosystems for many different types of birds.  Beaches, marshes, coves, islands, bays, rivers, estuaries, lakes, fields and varied forests provide varied habitats for  the 300 species listed on the charts below (download able on this page).  Bird watchers should watch for the unexpected while birding here year round.  Sea birds and shore birds and many other species gather in large numbers here in Shelburne County.

Seal Island is one of the best birding sites in Eastern Canada and should be one of the top destinations for serious birders.  An incredible number of species of both migratory and stray birds can be found on Seal Island.  During your two hour trip to the island, keep an eye out for birds seldom seen near land.  You'll want to be sure you have your birding equipment for this trip.  Many birds that can be found in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia may also be found on the island. Further below is a list of some birds that can be found in Shelburne  County. 

Or, you can download a fully detailed chart of all birds that can be found in Shelburne County, along with what times of year they can be found here, whether they are common, rare, or not found near beaches.  This chart is in two parts which can be downloaded below.  This chart was obtained from the tourist pamphlet, "Birding on the Lighthouse Route in Shelburne County" put out by the South Shore Tourism Coordinator (P.O. Box 380, Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, B0J 2E0,  Phone (902) 624-6466, Email:  ssta@fox.nstn.ca courtesy of Peter MacLeod.
 

To download each chart, click on the link and wait for it to fully load.  Then, right click on the image and choose "Save image as" or "Save picture as" and drop it into a folder on your computer.  Please allow time for these images to fully load as they are very large files.

Download chart1.gif (2403 x 2759 x 256) 

Download chart2.gif (2403 x 2733 x 256)