Sept-Iles – Canada

About

Sept-Îles is French for seven islands and is in the North Coast, Côte-Nord, a region of Eastern Quebec, Canada. Located on the North Shore of the Saint Lawrence River, between Saint-Marguerite and Moisie Rivers, right near the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the city extends along the edge of a 17 square mile bay, with an entrance that is protected by a natural rampart made up of 7 islands, an archipelago. La Grosse Boule, la Petite Boule, La Grande Basque, La Petite Basque, Île Manowin, Île de Corossol, and Îlets Dequen make up Sept-Îles archipelago. It is a dynamic town with a lot to discover from its modern lively city, rivers, the boreal forest, to its archipelago, beaches, and ocean adventures. The city and its surrounding areas have numerous protected areas that allow you to explore its forest’s diversity and coastline. Sept-Îles is also known for its iron ore and aluminum industries. The 7 islands, archipelago, are rarely inhabited. The main occupants are seabirds that come to nest in vast numbers. Corossol Island offers one of the best bird sanctuaries in Cote-Nord in terms of diversity and number of species. The Île du Corossol Migratory Bird Sanctuary’s key bird species are common eider, razorbill, and common murre. It is located 6 miles south of Sept-Îles and was established in 1937 to protect seabirds during their nesting season. The sanctuary provides a nesting ground for several colonial bird species such as the double-crested cormorant, herring gull, black guillemots, and the great blue heron. Owen visited Sept-Îles in August 2019. He has photographed the Arctic Tern, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, and others.