Travel HIKING DISCOVERIES The outfitter also brought us hiking in Sirmilik National Park. Although we observed no Arctic fox, hares or lemmings when we scanned the landscape with our binoculars, we stepped over the clues that they left behind – tufts of fur, burrows, piles of scat and footprints. Sirmilik is only one of Nunavut’s four national parks, four heritage rivers, 13 territorial parks and nearly two dozen existing and proposed national wildlife areas, migratory bird and game sanctuaries. The more we saw of Nunavut, the more awed we became with its vastness and diversity. Our experiences left us yearning to explore more parks, visit more communities, meet more people and learn more about their lifestyle and heritage. Discovering Nunavut’s natural and cultural treasures requires more than one trip. RESOURCES To download free guides and request information about getting to Nunavut, where to stay, package tours, sightseeing and activities, visit Travel Nunavut at www.nunavuttourism.comor phone 1-866-686-2888 toll-free. If you plan to visit more than one community, call 1-800-661-1505 to ask Canadian North reservation agents about Arctic Air Passes to save substantial amounts on flights. BIRD SANCTUARY We booked a bird-watching tour with a local outfitter to Bylot Island, part of Sirmilik National Park. Bylot Island is a nesting area for more than 40 species of migratory birds, including murres, black-legged kittiwakes and snow geese. Along the way, we stopped to admire and photograph several menthol-blue, fancifully shaped icebergs. From the boat, we viewed hundreds of pudgy blackand-white, thick-billed murres on the cliffs. They jostled for the best spots on the rocky ledges to protect their speckled, aquamarine eggs fromhungry glaucous gulls. The murres’ conical-shaped eggs are less likely to roll off the cliff than round eggs. CSANews | SPRING 2019 | 21
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