The Fall migration brings great numbers of shore birds. Greater Yellowlegs gather in the estuaries, and Sanderling and White-rumped Sandpiper flock on the seashore along the coast. A few species can withstand the rigors of winter in the Straits. Snow Buntings are the most common perching birds at this time, and Snowy Owls and Partridges are occasionally seen. Marine Life Whales are frequently sighted in the Strait of Belle Isle during the months of summer and early fall.
Fin whales are more solitary than humpbacks, and are usually spotted alone or in small groups.
Their main identifying feature is the tall, column-like spout of exhaled air when they surface after a dive. Smaller whales include pothead, minke and occasional killer whales. The rocky shores abound with animals adapted to the ocean waves, such as sea urchins, limpets, mussels and starfish. On the sandy beaches are found creatures such as sandhoppers, burrowing and swimming crabs, clams, shrimps, and sand-eels. Polar bears sometime drift south on icebergs from the high Arctic, and have been known to come ashore in the Straits.