Tag: New Brunswick

Stuff We Learned On The Cruise: The Cormorant

In coordinated air raids they sit on a rocky outcropping and one-by-one fly upriver. When their hunting is done they let the river current take them back to their starting point. They float facing backward!

If you go to new places you will see new things. I am exceptionally curious. A trip like our recent cruise is always a learning experience.

Saint John, New Brunswick was full of cormorants. It’s a bird I’d never knowingly seen.

The photo on the left shows a cormorant flying low over the Saint John River near the Irving Paper Mill. The river looked dark and murky. The bird too!

Wikipedia says, “They are coastal rather than oceanic birds, and some have colonized inland waters.” That fits this salty river location.

In coordinated air raids they sit on a rocky outcropping and one-by-one fly upriver. When their hunting is done they let the river current take them back to their starting point. They float facing backward!

The cormorants fly low–just a few inches above the water’s surface. If they see fish they dive in and instantly disappear from sight! A few times I tried to catch them floating to the surface, but knowing the point of entry was little help!

Coming back from the beach our photo guide Lance saw a cormorant sitting on a rock staring at the shore. He stopped the bus. I got out and starting popping away circling the bird as my shutter clicked. He didn’t flinch and I didn’t move any closer.

In Port–We’re In New Brunswick

Saint John is on the Bay of Fundy known for its tides–biggest in the world! Some parts of the Bay see a fifty foot difference between high and low tide.

I’m just looking at the clock. This should have been written hours ago. We’ve been busy. It’s been a full day since I checked my email. When was the last time that happened?

We are currently bobbing our way through the Atlantic on our way to Halifax , Nova Scotia. The sky is clear. The moon is close to full. The wind is blowing. It’s July but it’s chilly in the North Atlantic.

Earlier this evening the movie “It’s Complicated” was shown on a big screen above the pool. People were wearing jackets or wrapped in blankets. This is not a Caribbean cruise!

By the time we woke up today we were docked in Saint John, New Brunswick. The city is built near the water and we were downtown.

We had plans. Weeks ago Helaine bought tickets for a photo tour of the area with local photographer Lance Timmons.

Saint John is on the Bay of Fundy known for its tides–biggest in the world! Some parts of the Bay see a fifty foot difference between high and low tide. It made no difference to us as high tide was centered on our tour.

Oh well. It was still worthwhile.

We headed first to the Reversing Falls. Today it was just a rapidly running river with a very ugly paper mill filling the background. We were victims of the tide.

Next we headed to a beautiful stepped waterfall. Access was good. The surroundings were pretty.

We headed from the falls to a fishing village, Dipper Harbour. Working boats and small platforms loaded with lobster traps lined the harbor. It reminded me of the area near Bar Harbor, ME. Again, really pretty.

Finally we headed to the beach. The water in the Bay is in the mid-50°s this time of year. There was no one in the water save a few young kids. The beach was flanked by rock outcroppings which made for good picture taking.

I’m a little upset because I can tell you about these shots, but I can’t post them. The onboard Internet access is horrendous! I’ll throw my best shots online when we return to Connecticut.

We were back on the ship around 3:00 PM. Departure was scheduled for 3:30 PM.

Around 3:20 they started paging three people to call and check in. A few minutes later it was down to two–a husband and wife. They were aged at least three times and I assume we sailed without them!

Yeah, they do that.

As we left Saint John we were followed by the harbor pilot’s boat. It’s only when you see a small boat cutting through the swells that you realize a large ship like this makes fast look slow!

We had an early dinner then headed to a show in the theater. It was an over-the-top illusionist with throbbing music and eight dancers. These were all tricks I’d seen before… and I still don’t know how they’re done.

After the show I spent a few hours in the casino playing poker. I won another $20. I’d been up more but gave some back

Hey, up is better than down.