Page 28 - 2025-2026 Travel Guide to Canada

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BALD EAGLE WITH EAGLETS, BC • SHUTTERSTOCK/BIRDIEGAL
Orca, a.k.a. killer whales, cruise all
oceans, but are particularly abundant
around Johnstone Strait near northeastern
Vancouver Island and in the Salish Sea near
Victoria. Extremely intelligent animals that
live in matrilineal pods, their high dorsal
fins slice elegantly through the water.
Numerous boat tours are offered. You may
also see grey whales up to 15 m (49 ft.) long,
especially around Tofino during their
migrations in March and October, as well as
dolphins, seals and sea lions.
The Atlantic coast and the St. Lawrence
River are also prime locales for whale
watching. Every summer some 12 species—
including minke, humpback, finback and
right whales—swim into the Bay of Fundy
to mate, play and feast on the bountiful
food churned up twice daily by the
powerful tides.
Salmon live in both the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans and are renowned for
spawning, that is fighting their way
upstream to lay eggs and die in the same
freshwater location where they were
hatched. Spawning salmon can be seen in
fall and the first half of winter at many
locations, often far inland.
FLYING HIGH
Featured on the dollar coin, loons are duck-
sized birds, regally patterned in black and
white. Excellent swimmers, they catch
small fish in fast underwater chases. Other
than in the extreme north, their eerie,
echoing calls can be heard on numerous
lakes, especially in the Canadian Shield.
Canada geese, another national icon, are so
common across the country they have
become a pest at some golf courses and
parks. In the air, however, they fly in an
elegant V-formation.
The bald eagle, a noble raptor most
associated with the United States, actually
builds enormous nests in tall trees across
most of North America. The bald eagle, with
its white head and tail, is particularly
abundant in western British Columbia. The
best time to see eagles in B.C. is in fall and
the first half of winter when they gather,
sometimes in the thousands, at spawning
sites such as Brackendale and the upper
Harrison River.
The Bay of Fundy provides another avian
spectacle. In late July and August, more than
two million tiny sandpipers flock into the
coastal region to gorge on shrimp before
flying south. Mary’s Point in New Brunswick
and Evangeline Beach in Nova Scotia are two
top places for viewing.
Newfoundland is also a hot spot for
birders. The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve,
for instance, has North America’s largest
Atlantic puffin colony, while the Cape
St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve is known for
razorbills, cormorants, kittiwakes and dive-
bombing gannets.
MUCH MORE
This is but a small sampling, a teaser, to
encourage you to get outdoors and see the
vast array of creatures that live in Canada.
SPIRIT BEAR AND HER CUB, GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST, B.C. • SHUTTERSTOCK/ RICHARD SEELEY