Minas Basin looking from Grand Pre toward Kingsport
Minas Basin
The image this week is of the Minas Basin, looking north from Grand Pre.
The Basin is a large inlet at the head of the Bay of Fundy. There are a number of towns and villages along its shores, including the small village of Habitant, where I lived as a teen and young 20-something as my Dad taught at Acadia University in Wolfville, which is situated also on the shores of the Minas Basin.
The Minas Basin is an amazing piece of water, as it has some of the highest tides in the world – with the spring tides reaching 16m (52 feet). The photo shows water at nearly high tide, and at low tide the background would simply show the muddy bottom of the Basin, almost completely devoid of water, except for the many small creeks and streams that empty into it near here.
The Basin is an important bird area as migrating shorebirds stop here on their fall migration, feeding on the muddy bottom before flying to South America. Norma studied the Basin and the team she worked with produced a key to the Basin’s inhabitants – including many organisms the birds feed on. The sight of the thousands of birds flocking in the late summer is amazing.
Having grown up on the shores of the Minas Basin, I always love to come “home” and visit the area and am always in awe of the flowing tidal waters and the creatures that also call this special place home.
