Managawonish Island Preserve

This preserve of approximately 20 hectares consists of Manawagonish Island and its satellite, Thumb Cap Island. They lie in the Bay of Fundy 1.5 km off Saint John. The islands were donated to the Nature Trust in 1992 by the previous four owners, through the efforts of New Brunswick Museum scientists. Manawagonish Island is an important sanctuary for sea birds. Bird banding and research on the effects of pesticides on seabirds on this island was conducted from 1940 to 1994 by New Brunswick Museum scientists, Will Astle (an enthusiast from New York) and by the Canadian Wildlife Service. There is a considerable amount of information on the establishment and changes which have taken place in this seabird colony. The island was originally covered with typical coastal forest of spruce and fir but the increase in the bird population has led to great changes in the vegetation. Little now remains of the original forest.Today there are many double-crested cormorants, herring and greater black-backed gulls, great blue herons and common eider nesting on these islands. The rain of guano has led to the establishment of a diverse lichen flora on the cliffs.