Semi-palmated sandpipers at Dorchester Cape. Photos provided by Margaret Eaton.

A drive of less than five minutes from the village square will bring you to the 500-acre Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Reserve Interpretation Centre, managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Situated along Route 935 and the Upper Bay of Fundy, the area is a rich feeding ground for up to 100,000 Semi-palmated Sandpipers as they migrate from their breeding grounds in the sub-Arctic to their winter home in Surinam.

Come and learn about their remarkable journey, then view their awe-inspiring aerial ballet through high-powered binoculars provided by the centre’s knowledgeable staff. The first sandpipers arrive in mid-July, with the last ones leaving early in September. Peak viewing times are during the month of August. So as not to disturb the birds when they are roosting, visitors are asked to stay off the beach at high tide and use the viewing platform.