People and Peeps Traditional Cache
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Size: 
(small)
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A wonderful place to visit anytime of the year, but especially during mid-July to late August around the high tide to see thousands of birds in migration.
As you make your way along the head of the Shepody Bay, following Route 935, you will arrive at Johnson’s Mills, New Brunswick.
The mudflats and tidal marshes of the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy are considered to be some of the most important stopover sites for shorebirds in North America. The area was given international prominence in 1987 when it was added to the list of Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention and designated as Canada’s first Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve. Shepody Bay, in the Upper Bay, is also recognized as an Important Bird Area.
More than two million shorebirds stop each year in the upper Bay of Fundy, in locations such as Johnson’s Mills, to feed on the extensive intertidal mudflats during late summer en route to their wintering habitat in South America. Thirty-four species of shorebirds have been identified in the region; however, the Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla, far outnumbers the rest by making up as much as 95% of these massive flocks. The tidal flats provide ideal conditions for the tiny mudshrimp, Corophium volutator – the most important food source of the Semipalmated Sandpiper. In a given year, over 80% of the world’s population of Semipalmated Sandpipers stop to feed on invertebrates found on the Bay’s tidal flats!
Corophium volutator is only found in two places worldwide and the Bay of Fundy happens to be one of them. In fact the mudflats of the Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine are the only place in North America where this type of amphipod is found. They can occur in densities as high as 60,000/m2. Due to their high fat content the sandpipers are able to double their weight in an average of just 14 days. Corophium volutator is a vital food source for the survival of the Semipalmated Sandpiper.
During high tide, while on the pebble beach, shorebirds are at their most vulnerable. Slight disturbances cause them to fly off and burn their precious fat reserves required for migration. Migrating shorebirds need to feed and rest, undisturbed. While observing shorebirds, please use viewing platforms and keep your distance, walk softly, abstain from waving and shouting, drive slowly and quietly and please don’t let your dogs run loose.
Most seen shorebirds at Johnson’s Mills:
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Semipalmated Plover
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Black-bellied Plover
Sanderling
Ruddy Turnstone
While you're out finding this cache, take the time to visit the Interpretive Centre and find out more about the shorebirds and their protection at this site.
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