Heron Island (Quebec)

Last updated

Heron Island
Ile aux Hérons
Canada Southern Quebec location map.png
Red pog.svg
Heron Island
Geography
Location Saint Lawrence River
Coordinates 45°25′23″N73°34′45″W / 45.42306°N 73.57917°W / 45.42306; -73.57917
Archipelago Hochelaga Archipelago
Area0.49 km2 (0.19 sq mi)
Administration
Canada
Province Quebec
City Sainte-Catherine

Heron Island is a small island of approximately 129 acres in the Saint Lawrence River and part of Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, Canada. The northern tip of the island is located in the Lachine rapids. It is one of "Saint-Laurent, Vision 2000" 37 protected sites. In 2002, Hydro Quebec donated the land to The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) which manages the site as a wildlife reserve.

Federal migratory bird sanctuary

In 1937, the island along with nearby Goat, The Seven Sisters, Devil's, and Boquet Islands were collectively granted status as a federal migratory bird sanctuary under its official name of Ile aux Hérons Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Hence its namesake, the island currently (2010) hosts Quebec's 2nd largest colony of Great Blue Herons. Other nesting birds include the Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Egret and numerous others.

Around 2000 it was thought that 3 White-tailed Deer arrived on the island either by swimming or by crossing over ice in the winter. Due to the lack of natural predators an aerial survey in 2012 estimated their population at approximately 46. Much of the vegetation was showing stress and in 2014 permission was granted for a controlled hunt of 10-12 individuals by arrows only.

28 private seasonal cottages are present, mainly concentrated on the eastern tip away from nesting sites. No services, roads, or ferries are available.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf of St. Lawrence</span> Outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean

The Gulf of St. Lawrence fringes the shores of the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, in Canada, plus the islands Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, possessions of France, in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magdalen Islands</span> Archipelago of Quebec, Canada

The Magdalen Islands are an archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Since 2005, the 12-island archipelago is divided into two municipalities: the majority-francophone Municipality of Îles-de-la-Madeleine and the majority-anglophone Municipality of Grosse-Île, in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region, Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Saint Pierre</span> Lake in Quebec, Canada

Lake Saint Pierre is a lake in Quebec, Canada, a widening of the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières. It is located downstream, and northeast, of Montreal; and upstream, and southwest, of Quebec City. The end of the lake delimits the beginning of the estuary of Saint Lawrence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akimiski Island</span> Island in southern Hudson Bay

Akimiski Island is the largest island in James Bay, Canada, which is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the territory of Nunavut. It has an area of 3,001 km2 (1,159 sq mi), making it the 163rd largest island in the world, and Canada's 29th largest island. Akimiski Island is 19 km (12 mi) from the province of Ontario. From the western side of the island, the Ontario coastline is visible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minganie Regional County Municipality</span> Regional county municipality in Quebec, Canada

Minganie is a regional county municipality on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada, its territory includes Anticosti Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge</span>

Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Vermont located on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain and the southern side of Missisquoi Bay. The refuge is in Franklin County in the northwest corner of the state near the International Boundary with Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trois-Pistoles</span> City in Quebec, Canada

Trois-Pistoles is a city in Les Basques Regional County Municipality in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. It is also the county seat. The town is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hochelaga Archipelago</span> Group of islands at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers

The Hochelaga Archipelago, also known as the Montreal Islands, is a group of islands at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa rivers in the southwestern part of the province of Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'Isle-aux-Coudres</span> Municipality in Quebec, Canada

L'Isle-aux-Coudres, is a municipality located on island aux Coudres, in the St. Lawrence River, in Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, Capitale-Nationale region, Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Leopold Island</span> Island in Nunavut, Canada

Prince Leopold Island is an island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Lancaster Sound at the junction of Prince Regent Inlet and Barrow Strait. Somerset Island is situated 13 km (8.1 mi) to the southwest; Port Leopold, an abandoned trading post, is the closest landmark. The island is significant as a summer habitat and breeding ground for large populations of several arctic bird species.

Greenly Island is an island in Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, Canada, near the border of Newfoundland and Labrador, in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence at the southwestern end of Strait of Belle Isle. The rocky surface of Greenly Island has a thin cover of herbaceous vegetation. A fishing settlement and lighthouse are on the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chantry Island (Ontario)</span>

Chantry Island is a small island in Lake Huron, south of the mouth of the Saugeen River and approximately a kilometre off the shores of the town of Southampton, Ontario. It is approximately 19 hectares in size and is a migratory bird sanctuary. Since the sanctuary territory extends 183 metres into the water surrounding the island, the total official area is listed as 63 hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brion Island</span> Uninhabited island in Quebec, Canada

Brion Island is a currently uninhabited island in the Magdalen Islands archipelago in the middle of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and part of the municipality of Grosse-Île, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, Canada. It is the most northeast of the islands in the Magdalen archipelago, apart from the Bird Rocks twenty kilometres east-north-east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary</span>

The Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary (KIBS) is a migratory bird sanctuary in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on Kendall Island and its surrounding area in Mackenzie Bay at the northern tip of the Mackenzie River Delta. A seasonal sanctuary for more than 60,000 shorebirds, it is one of five bird sanctuaries within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The area that is now known as the KIBS is a traditional Inuvialuit whaling site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sept Îles Archipelago Regional Park</span> Proposed protected area in Quebec, Canada

The Sept Îles Archipelago Regional Park is a proposed protected area in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. The islands are important to migratory sea birds, and are also of interest to tourists. The management plan was prepared in 2008.

The Gros-Mécatina Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a protected area in Quebec, Canada. It consists of four islands and a reef in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence that are used as nesting sites by seabirds.

L’Île aux Lièvres is an island of the St. Lawrence River, located between Saint-Siméon and Rivière-du-Loup, near the islands of the Pot à l'Eau-de-Vie. This island is part of the municipality of Saint-André-de-Kamouraska, in the Kamouraska Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Bas-Saint-Laurent, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.

The Christie Islet Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a small migratory bird sanctuary on the south coast of British Columbia. It was established in 1962 by Environment and Climate Change Canada. Located in Howe Sound just south of Anvil Island, it is a small rocky island where seabirds nest, and Harbour seals roam the surrounding waters. To protect the birds' nesting habitat, public access to the islet is not allowed, however is it possible to observe birds by boat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochers aux Oiseaux</span> Migratory bird sanctuary located in an uninhabited archipelago.

The Rochers aux Oiseaux are an uninhabited archipelago in Quebec, Canada, located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off the Magdalen Islands. The islands and the surrounding marine area are a migratory bird sanctuary known as the Rochers-aux-Oiseaux Bird Sanctuary, owned by the Canadian Coast Guard and home to a large colony of Northern gannets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary</span> A migratory bird sanctuary in Canada

The Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary or VHMBS is a 30 km protected area on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, in the Greater Victoria metropolitan area. It is located within the traditional territory of the Lekwungen People. The sanctuary is federally recognized as a critical habitat for bird conservation, and is home to an estimated 270 bird species, many of which are migratory. The sanctuary encompasses about 30 kilometres of coastline, an area covering approximately 1841 hectares in total. Of this total, 31 hectares are terrestrial, and 1810 hectares are marine.

References