CAPE TRYON 
     
     EXCURSION 
     
    
   
   
    
     by Tina Brajsa, Charlottetown 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The annual excursion to the cormorant nesting 
     
     cliffs at Cape Tryon was quite an experience. About 
     
     20 members of the P.E.I. Natural History Society braved 
     
     the damp weather on the morning of April 16 to see these 
     
     birds and their habitat. Previous expeditions to the 
     
     site necessitated a sticky walk along the wet clay road leading to the cliffs, 
     
     but this time the road was dry and easily accessible by car. The red sandstone 
     
     cliffs are home to a colony of cormorants, which were scattered here and there, 
     
     sometimes in groups of thirty or more. In various stages of nest building, some 
     
     already had laid eggs. They were surprisingly calm, considering how close we 
     
     came to them from the cliffs' edge. Two species of cormorants were seen: the 
     
     Double—crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) (length 30—36 in.) and the Great 
     
     Cormorant (EJ carbo), the latter being the more numerous. The Great Cormorant is 
     
     our largest cormorant, and the only one with a white throat patch. The bill is 
     
     yellower and heavier than the Double-crested's. During the breeding season, the 
     
     ’adult has a white flank patch and the immature bird has a belly whiter than the 
     
     neck. The Double—crested Cormorant is found on inland lakes and rivers, but is 
     
     mainly seen along the coast.* The throat patch is orange and the crests are 
     
     seldom visible. Immature birds are white on the breast and dark on the belly. 
     
     Cormorants thrive on fish and also crustaceans, diving from the surface and then 
     
     swimming underwater to foray. He spotted several cormorants bringing fish to the 
     
     _nesting sites. Nesting birds incubate three or four blue eggs on a mound of 
     
     sticks and seaweed placed on a cliff, a rock, or in a tree. 
     
    

    
     Even seen through the fog and mist, the cliffs full of cormorants were very 
     
     impressive. The sheer drop from the top of the cliffs is at least 100 to 110 
     
     feet in places, with ice cakes floating ominously at their base. It has been 
     
     suggested by Geoff Hogan that the light coloured "manure" deposits on the cliff 
     
     face would serve to guide the birds to “zero-in" on the cliffs while landing in 
     
     darkness or fog. 
     
    

    
     An unexpected highlight of our visit to Cape Tryon was our encounter with a 
     
     fox den and its inhabitants. The den, dug out of the red earth, was situated on 
     
     a grassy knoll at the top of a cliff. Having first seen an adult fox go off in 
     
     the distance, we then saw a number of baby foxes milling about the entrance of a 
     
     den. A few toddled back into the den, but Geoff Hogan was able to pick up one for 
     
     all to see. Ouite young, with brown-red fur, the baby fox tried a tiny growl in 
     
     defence. When everyone had a peek at it and after a few photos 
     
     were taken, it waddled back into the hole with the others. We 
     
     also found a dead, uneaten muskrat by the entrance of the den 
     
     and several skeletons of cormorants, gulls and other small 
     
     animals nearby on the cliff top. Evidently, the cormorants 
     
     nesting by the top of the cliffs were very easy prey for the 
     
     foxes. 
     
    

    
     As we headed back at the end of our visit, a flock of 
     
     several hundred Snow Buntings descended out of the fog to feed 
     
    
   
   
    
     in a stubble field. Such a large group of them seemed impressive 5 
     
     for this time of year. 
     
     Next year, we hope that the trip to the cormorant 
     
    
   
   
    
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