Downtown Amherst.
Border town twins The best of Amherst, NS and Sackville, NB STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARCY RHYNO
W
hat sounds like the gulps of a thirsty giant are coming from somewhere nearby. Or is it more like dripping water echoing off the walls of a cave? Whatever sound it resembles, I know what’s making it. The watery noises are the call of an unusual avian visitor to the Amherst Point Migratory Bird Sanctuary. There in the morning light, standing stock still among the reeds is an American bittern, its beak pointed straight up. It’s this
shy bird’s unique camouflaging technique that makes it so difficult to spot. Its long neck covered in striped plumage blends in with the tall grasses and reeds all around it. I stand equally still, watching through binoculars until the small heron senses it’s safe again and continues its slow call. “Onk-er-loink. Onk-er-loink.” The sanctuary sits at the edge of the Tantramar Marsh that attracts many bird species and separates Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick. I’m here to do some bird watching and to visit the towns on either side of the border—Amherst and Sackville. My plan is to end the day with a stroll along the boardwalk at the Sackville Waterfowl Park before dusk, when the birds will be settling in for the night. Between now and then, I’ve got a couple of border town twins to explore. With the bittern added to my life list, I hurry into Amherst for my appointment at
Colourful fabric at Deanne Fitzpatrick Studio; a rug hooking project in progress; Karen McKinnon, owner of Maritime Mosaic.
ATLANTIC PROVINCES
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