Room 207 - Welcome to the Mandarte Island Room
Seabird Sanctuary Mandarte Island lies to the east, located just behind the much larger Sidney Island, which is readily visible from shore. Mandarte is small and has been designated an Ecological Reserve – a seabird sanctuary. It is home to about 5,000 sea gulls, 1000 cormorants, 100 guillemots and many sparrows.
You'll need a large brimmed hat to get close to this island! The Island has been desig-nated an Ecological Preserve and is the second largest in all the Strait of Georgia for bird-nesting colonies. The most common big white gulls with pinkish legs are adaptable, bold, and quick to learn although not too popular, because they can be a nuisance.
The cormorant has three different species but all three are dark, heavy-looking birds. In taking flight, they are slow to lift off the water. These birds have long, snake-like necks that aid in diving and catching fish underwater. To dry their wing feathers, they stand in a classic bat-like pose with wings spread wide. Hikers, kayakers and boaters see cormorants frequently as they can be found on both land-locked lakes and the sea. However, they normally nest on rocks, cliffs and even in sea caves that are unapproachable except by water. Mandarte Island is also home to a few tufted puffins. They have rotund little bodies, huge beaks and a shock of feathers on their heads. Puffins require grassy, predator-free islands for their nest burrows and so are not very common here.