The beauty of the Magdalen Islands' wilderness.

DAY 1/7

I left my home in Cap-chat around 6:30 am in direction of the Gaspé airport. A beautiful sunrise was waiting for me which made the road even more pleasant. As I drove up to the Murdochville mountains, the temperature was -29 in my car. It was wonderful to see the conifers completely frosted.

The Pascan airplane arrived at the Gaspé airport at about 11:20 a.m. and then it was time for take-off. I had never had the opportunity to fly over Gaspé Bay, Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island. To see these Gaspesian jewels from the air was incredible. The highlight of the show was when I turned my head a little more to see, at more than 120km as the bird flies, the wonderful Chic-Chocs mountains completely white.

At 1:30 pm (Magdalen Islands time), I set foot on these beautiful islands for the first time in my life. My first impression was about the vegetation which is completely different from anything I have known so far. Then it was the cliffs! Amazing! It's as if there was a miniature Cape Bon-Ami everywhere and... red! Completely blown away. A beautiful mild and not very windy weather (well aware that it will surely be the only one of this kind) and beautiful snowflakes that were falling. I was then able to meet Ariane, Isabelle and Cindy who welcomed me warmly.

Around 4:30 pm, I headed north in search of beauty. The reality is that it's really beautiful everywhere. As I passed by the dunes, the golden hay mounds, the birds and the little snowflakes that were falling, I spotted a shape on the side of a mound that caught my eye. I look through my binoculars and... A FOX!

I was very happy because I had already visualized for several weeks a meeting with the local foxes in a typical local landscape. The task was not easy because despite the distance of more than 300m that separated us, he was very nervous. It was therefore impossible to approach in a straight line. So I analyzed his behavior and went further south to use the other mounds to approach and to put myself in a stalking position until the moment when (I hope) the fox will pass not far from me. I was able to observe and photograph this adorable red fox around 5:30 pm.

DAY 2/7

Following my observation of the beautiful fox nicknamed " Lionne " last night, something magnificent happened. From the top of the dune, a beautiful silver fox appeared. Then, the male came and smelled " Lionne " and he started to stick his neck on her. That's when I realized that "Lionne" was not single. Words are hard to find to explain what I experienced at that moment. I've known I was coming to the Islands for two months and I couldn't stop visualizing meeting a silver fox. It's not that common to observe one so I was visualizing and dreaming at that very moment. But this observation goes beyond my dream.

When I think about it, I had the incomparable privilege to photograph

1- A couple of foxes with different pigmentation
2- They were at exactly the same distance from my camera to have a clear focus on both individuals
3- In a classic Magdalen Islands landscape
4- With a little snow falling and a bright sun on the horizon
No, but... Pinch me!

I am still in shock that I was able to capture this moment. Beyond the dream... I named this photo: The Love of Difference.
 

DAY 3/7

It was a beautiful day in the Islands. The locals were telling me that it had been a long time since the sun had been so bright. There was also a classic Madelinot wind that came to cool my nose. In the dunes, the sand was moving and whipping my face. Strangely enough, it was still a nice feeling. Imagine a kind of -20 degree walking in a lunar landscape with the sun lighting up the dunes that instantly turn golden... It was magical!

The sky will possibly stay clear tonight so I will try to observe and photograph the Milky Way.

I'm sharing with you a picture of the silver fox I was able to observe because... it's simply too gorgeous as an animal. The contrast of his face, his white paws, his dark shades and the tip of his white tail make this fox a work of art on 4 legs.

DAY 4/7

I've been here for 3 sleeps already. Actually, maybe more than 2 since I didn't really sleep during the last 24 hours. Let me explain why.

The night was going to be amazing with a completely clear sky, a sparkling moon that set at 3:07 am, a visibility of the galactic center that started at 4:06 am and a sunrise that was going to be warm and golden at 7:02 am. In other words, I didn't sleep at all (or almost). I had an idea in mind to be able to observe and photograph the Milky Way with a landscape signed "Îles-de-la-Madeleine".

It is finally in Old-Harry that I found a composition and an opportunity to photograph the Milky Way. The end of the night was scheduled for 5:22, so I waited a little 10 minutes longer to get some daylight that was waking up on the horizon. It was a great show! Moreover the celestial way was so scintillating that one can see the nebula of the black horse. You can see the black horse nebula which is on the side in the heart of the Milky Way. Can you see it?

The sun came up as planned (lucky for us, otherwise we would have had a little problem) around 7:00 am and it was great. I was able to walk in the golden dunes which were covered with a thin layer of sand and snow. At the top of the dunes I could see the intense waves from the west. It was quite a gift from Mother Nature. 

Tomorrow, we are expecting good rainfall in the Islands. We are talking about a minimum of 10 centimeters. You know my love for snow so to be able to experience it here during my stay will be great. I already have a few pictures in mind, but the holy grail would really be an opportunity to meet a fox under the snow. We'll see tomorrow! One thing is for sure, until then, I will visualize it and dream about it.

DAY 5/7

Another extraordinary day in the Islands today. We really went through a variety of weather. It started with a wind and a heavy snow to turn into rain, then into ice and finally into a thick fog at the end of the day where we could sometimes see the sun. It was really wonderful. I was also able to meet some foxes and a couple of... Swans (I still can't believe it).

What was difficult today was managing the condensation in my camera and lens given the hot/cold and wet/dry temperature changes. We really went from one thing to another today. Seeing the Islands under the snow was a really good feeling. It was a bit like being at the top of the Chic-Chocs, but at an elevation of 0m.

Tomorrow I will try to photograph the Whistling Swan couple. It won't be easy because the different water spots are very unstable at the moment, but we'll see tomorrow.

There are some really interesting things about the photo I'm sharing with you. This is a fox that I had the opportunity to see yesterday in a warm, rosy light (as you can see), but also today in the mist. You can see obvious battle marks on its face and eye. It's playing hard during the foxes' love season in the Islands! On the picture I'm showing you tonight, you can see him curious about my presence before lying down only a few meters away from me to take a nap. I was able to film this incredible scene and I can't wait to share it with you.

I named this photo "Sweet Warrior" and along with "The Lionne" and "The Love of Difference", it is available for printing on my website.

DAY 6/7

It was my last full day in the Islands today and Mother Nature was extremely generous with me starting with the light. I was treated to a stunning sunrise and a breathtaking sunset. At sunrise, I headed towards the pair of Whistling Swans that I had seen the day before in the mist. This morning, it was the perfect moment to try to photograph them. My friend Pierre Banon, an experienced ornithologist, mentioned that this would be the 2nd complete wintering in Quebec... and in the Magdalen Islands too! It is absolutely exceptional to observe them so to succeed in taking a picture as I am presenting you tonight is an incredible chance. 

I was also able to meet Réal, Cindy and Ariane who are the pillars of the harp seal observation activity. Réal is normally a guide for the observation at this time of the year. Obviously, due to the lack of solid ice this year, the observation is cancelled, but it was great to hear him. He has over 35 years of experience with harp seal pupping so it was really interesting to hear his stories. I can't wait to be on the ice with him next year watching the pups! It will be amazing.

I still can't believe that my flight is at 2pm tomorrow. It passed so quickly...
 

DAY 7/7

My stay in the Islands is coming to an end. I am now back home in Cap-Chat in Haute-Gaspésie. Many extraordinary memories of the islands are running through my head. It was really beyond what I thought. I sincerely believe that I came back from this little trip with an improved version of myself. As one of you wrote in a comment yesterday: The Islands are a bit like Gaspésie. You can take someone out of the Islands, but you can't take the Islands out of someone...

My special thanks go to CindyHook Sports Aventures for accompanying me during my stay as well as Ariane from Accents Hotels and Isabelle from Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine. I'm already looking forward to coming back next year at the same time, hoping for a solid ice pack to observe the young harp seals.

I hope you enjoyed this mini logbook of the Islands!

See you soon!