Maybe you've seen photos of Hopewell Rocks before. I had, but there's so much more to it than just this one view. First of all what makes this area special is the record tides reaching up to 52ft that shape these rocks everyday! During low tide, you could walk for miles before reaching the water. At high tide you can't even see light under the rock formation. In the visitor center we watched a time lapse video showing an island 6.5 miles from shore, 6 hours later, you could walk all the way to it! Another video demonstrated how quickly the water rises by having three rangers stand in toe-deep water without moving. Three minutes later it was up to their chin.
But first, a short hike.
We arrived to the rock formations about 90 minutes AFTER low tide (so the water has already been rising for an hour and a half) and this is what it looked like.
After a picnic lunch, we hiked back out a couple hours later at high tide and
this is how it looks now. People are kayaking where we were just walking on dry ground!
We'd heard about the stairs costing nearly $1,000,000, and now I understand why. The bottom section must be able to withstand the pressure of being completely covered in water and waves for hours each day.
Next, while Daddy took the kids to the playground, I walked to the beach to look for birds. I was watching some shorebirds amongst the tall grass on the water's edge when I noticed THREE Peregrine Falcons flying overhead! It looked like they may be giving the young one flying lessons! I stood and watched the World's fastest bird as long as I could before heading back to my family.
On our way back to the campground, we stopped at Mary's Point National Wildlife Area as I'd heard this was THE spot to see the Semipalmated Sandpipers gearing up for their migratory flight south. I arrived a bit after high tide and was disappointed to hear I missed it. One needs to be here just before and AT high tide to see the birds get pushed up close to you. Argh! So, my husband, being the sweet, supportive spouse of a birder, drove us back the next day for high tide. It was absolutely amazing! By the time high tide came around, we had around 10,000 birds on the beach in front of us. Most were Semipalmated Sandpipers and the rest were Semipalmated Plovers.
They come from the Arctic, stopping here for approximately three weeks to refuel before flying non-stop to South America. While we were watching, a Peregrine Falcon kept flying in looking for a tasty snack which led to some wonderful aerial displays from the shorebirds.
A man there was explaining that in the 50s, the birds only stayed 15 days, but by that time the Falcons had been killed off as a result of DEET. Falcons were reintroduced in the 90s, and now with a thriving population, the shorebirds must expend energy flying away from them many times a day. So that is the theory on why they stay longer now.
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