Habitats: The natural cacophony of gannets in Cape St. Mary's

CBC News is deepening its commitment to climate change coverage with a special ongoing series, called "Our Changing Planet", that explores the challenges our environment is facing and the solutions needed to make a difference for future generations.

At Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve, you'll hear the cacophony first. 

Northern gannets — thousands of them — breed here, and they're all screeching. The sound bounces off the cliffs and sea stacks.

"They can recognize the call of their partners and chicks," said Chris Mooney, a park interpretation technician.  "You'll see the same pairs in the same spot year after year."

Mooney said the gannets are expanding their colony.

"When it became a protected reserve in 1983, the gannets were just nesting on this one sea stack, but the colony is moving," he said. "That's why reserves are so important. If we weren't here, people would be riding their ATVs through this area, or photographers would be climbing the cliffs to get a better picture."

The smell is the next thing you'll notice — Cape St. Mary's has a very distinct odour.

"We always tell people that they'll hear the birds, then they'll smell the birds." Mooney said. "That smell is the bird guano. It's a natural fertilizer and just chock full of nitrogen and other nutrients."

Finally, if you visit the right time of year, you'll see the gannets.

The birds are stunning. They have snowy plumage, black wingtips, and hyper-crisp yellow heads, and they'll start to arrive back at the Cape St. Mary's site soon.

"Gannets fly back to the cape around Paddy's Day," said Mooney. "They tend to stick around to early autumn."

While gannet populations aren't declining right now, there is growing concern that climate change will have an effect.

"We'll be one of the first sites to notice because we're the southernmost breeding colony. There's a fear that with warmer waters, their prey will move too far from their nests," Mooney said.

So how can these significant habitats be helped? Mooney has some ideas.