It had just shut and we met one of the rangers at the gate as we were working out when it was open. She told us that we MUST come at 8:30am, when it opened and there was a high tide, to see the geese. So we dutifully arrived early the next morning, and took the incredibly slippery boardwalk to the marshes.
This park was protected because it’s a major resting site for migrating birds. The greater snow goose population got down to 3000, but with conservation measures, including the reservation of this park, it’s shot back up to a million. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw them all. They were along the shore of the Saint Lawrence River as far as you could see. I’ve rarely seen so many birds in one place. This is where they rest between the Arctic circle and southern USA.
The last picture was taken from the lookout high above the marshes. The park protects three distinct areas, the marshes, the farmland which one of the first places farmed in Canada over 400 years ago, and is still farmed with traditional methods. And the forest high above.
You can see the traditional layout of the farmland, used by the early French farmers - long fields with ditches to drain the water out, and defining the edges of each field.
To get to the lookout we went into the forest.
Walked up the escarpment to the first lookout where the previous pictures were taken. On the same level of the escarpment was a trail to three waterfalls, with lots of moss.
After this, although we were both tired we went to Hautes Gourges de la Rivière Malbaie and missed the last boat up the river gorge. It was pretty, and the leaves are all turning but it was too much for one day.
The next day we needed to drive for six and a half hours, back into Ontario where we’ll be for about a week.
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