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Coastal Islands Conservation Program: Islands of Mahone Bay
Nestled along the South Shore of Nova Scotia in Lunenburg County are over 100 natural treasures. These glacier-formed drumlin islands comprise over 800 hectares of Mahone Bay’s coastal landscape. They were formed over 10,000 years ago, as the Wisconsin ice-sheet retreated, leaving behind predominantly northwest-southwest aligned whale back-shaped glacier till deposits (sediment, silt, and sand)- or drumlins. Natural erosion by wind, wave action, and ocean current continuously reshape these coastal island drumlins and make for an ever-changing landscape.
The Mahone Bay islands provide a variety of coastal habitats: rocky shores, cobble and sand beaches, dune complexes, tidal flats, as well as white spruce and balsam fir dominated forests, which are often intermixed with maple, birch, and pine tree species. Altogether, these coastal habitats support a diverse array of wildlife- marine and terrestrial- as well as distinct seabird and shorebird communities, including puffins, osprey, leach’s storm petrels, razorbills, black guillemots, cormorants, and colonies of gulls, great blue herons, and terns. Roseate terns, which are listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC, 2003), have been observed on some of the Mahone Bay islands.
Today the natural wonders of the Mahone Bay islands draw more and more people to the area, from tourists and seasonal vacationers to new residents and retirees. This has led to a recent increase in local human activities, including land clearing, home and cottage construction, aquaculture, and recreational activities. Such activities can adversely impact and degrade fragile coastal habitats and threaten native wildlife species.
View the photo gallery illustrating the different habitats and wildlife found on the Mahone Bay Islands.
Last Modified: Tue, Oct 26, 2004
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