It was getting late in the summer, and I hadn't been out to Courtin Island yet, so I started to look for a suitable day for a sail (Sea Pearl) or kayak paddle. In the end, things did line-up better for a paddling day (Aug 26). For a safer and easier paddle, I decided to launch at the end of Beech Point Road. The Beech Point Rd access worked out, but that's not the most pleasant place to launch a kayak – the little bay there is full of rotting seaweed that you have to walk through to get in the water.
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 | | Day track was 15.4 km |
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 | | Courtin Islands |
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Once in the water, I headed around the north side of Little Courtin Island in calm waters. The Little Courtin Islands are small islands with mostly grass and shrub vegetation (i.e. no trees). Little Courtin and Courtin Island belong mainly to the Island Nature Trust (INT). As I was going by Little Courtin Island, I saw a bald eagle on the ground, and it looks like he/she was on a nest. I didn't want to disturb the eagle, so I moved on. Towards the NW end of Little Courtin, there were quite a few seagulls and terns hanging around in the water.
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| Paddling towards the Courtin Islands |
I made my first landfall on the east shore of Courtin Island to explore and to have a snack. There were two leftover fire pits along this shoreline – either somebody having a nice hot lunch or some people are camping out here. The next paddle was to the SW corner, where I went ashore to explore and have lunch. As I was paddling, I saw a few bald eagles in the air – they seem to be following me. An osprey was also circling.
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| East side of Courtin I. with red cliffs towards the north |
After a good walk in both directions, it was time to start paddling down the west shore towards the SE corner. Along the way, I noticed a bald eagle family (mom, dad, and juvenile) all perched in the same tree – that was pretty special and exciting! I did take a few pics from the kayak with my small Nikon W300. The eagles were pretty settled and didn't move as I approached -- as much as I could in the shallow water.
I had a last walk on the shore at the SE corner. You definitely want to stay on the beach in this area; the island's SE tip is just one huge poison ivy patch. From here, it was a non-stop paddle (3.5 km) back to the access point and home.
I think there was a pit stop in Kensington for some ice cream!
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 | Passing Little Courtin Island on left
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 | Courtin Island SE corner
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 | Large poison ivy patch on SE tip of Courtin Island
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 | Bald Eagle family (west side of Courtin I.)
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On 04Aug2021, I made a circumnavigation of Courtin Island but from Belmont Park this time. It was a great paddle and quite a few nature observations were made including Bald Eagles. Check my Outdoor pics and iNaturalist account for 2021-08-04.
ReplyDelete.. Denis
In the summer of 2024, I made three trips to the Courtin Islands.
ReplyDelete08Jul2024 (Merganser kayak, 13km) - The first outing was from Beech Point Road (east side of Malpeque Bay). The objective of this trip was mostly to check out the Little Courtin Islands (or Holland Islands) - an INT property. There's quite the bird colony/gathering on those small islands (check denisag2 on iNaturalist for 08Jul2024).
07Aug2024 (Va'a Motu, 22km overall) - I sailed from Willie Birch Road to the south shore of Courtin Island and had a short walk. Then, I continued my sail to Belmont Provincial Park (lunch) - before returning to the WIllie Birsh launch.
15Aug2024 (Merganser kayak, 15km) - For the 3rd trip, I launched at Belmont Park and circumnavigated Courtin Island. The 15km includes some walk on shore as well as the paddling. For this trip, you just need to keep a close watch on the weather and an eye out for poison ivy!