Forillon National Park, Quebec

 

Forillon National Park (24,480 ha) is located at the tip of Gaspé Peninsula, extending into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The area has a maritime climate; average temperatures are +17°C in the summer and -10°C in the winter. The mean annual precipitation is ca. 1,000 mm; much of it falls as snow in the winter. Forest covers 95% of the park; other habitats include saltmarshes, sea cliffs, rock barrens, and nearshore waters. The forests are dominated by Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea), Yellow and Paper birches (Betula alleghaniensis and B. papyrifera), and maples (Acer spp.). Park’s flora contains nearly 700 species, including >100 species typically found in alpine or arctic locations, relics of the last Ice Age.

Terrestrial mammals include White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Moose (Alces alces), Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis), American Black Bear (Ursus americanus), Coyote (Canis latrans), Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus), etc. Harbour and Grey seals (Phoca vitulina and Halichoerus grypus) haul out on shoals and rocky points. Several species of whales, including Fin and Humpback whales (Balaenoptera physalus and Megaptera novaeangliae) can be seen from shore. At least 125 species of birds nest in the park, including Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis), Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), and Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle). The colony of Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) is the largest in Eastern Canada.

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