The Hawk Webcam – See Nova Scotia’s Drowned Forest

The Hawk Webcam points south from the most southerly community in Nova Scotia, across a white sand beach, a wide run of tidal flats and the shallow water of Hawk Inlet. Cape Sable Lighthouse stands on its own small island near the center of the frame, a thin pale tower set against the open Atlantic. Closer to the camera a Canadian flag turns on its pole beside the shore path, and lobster boats cross the channel on their way to the fishing grounds. What the scene looks like depends on the tide more than the hour. At low water the flats spread out and dark shapes break the surface across them, and a few hours later the same ground is under the sea.

About The Hawk

The Hawk sits at the bottom of Cape Sable Island, in Shelburne County, at the southernmost point of the Nova Scotia peninsula. It is the most southerly community in the province, and the most southerly anywhere in Canada outside Ontario. The place is small and always has been: a census counted 243 people here in 1956. The name is older than that, and it came from the sea. The Hawk is said to be named for a shipwreck that washed ashore in the early days of settlement, and “Hawk Inlet” was already in use as a place name by 1819.

The beach in front of the camera is the reason most people drive down. At low tide the sand gives way to a field of tree stumps, still rooted in the soil where they grew about 1,500 years ago, before rising water drowned the forest and buried it. The stumps come and go with the water, so the same shore reads as open sand at one hour and a field of black stubs at another.

The tower on the horizon is Cape Sable Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in Nova Scotia. It stands on a low island cut off from Cape Sable Island by Hawk Inlet, which is why there is no road to it and no way across except by boat. The octagonal concrete tower dates from 1924 and replaced a wooden light that had stood since 1861. Its last keepers left on May 26, 1986. From the camera it reads as little more than a vertical line, sharp enough to pick out on a clear afternoon.

Weather and Climate in The Hawk

Cape Sable Island has an oceanic climate, and the water on every side keeps the extremes off. February, the coldest month, averages about -2 C (28 F), which is mild by Nova Scotia standards and well short of what inland parts of the province see. Summer is cool in the other direction. Daily average highs peak near 15 C (59 F) in late August and early September, so the beach in the frame is rarely a hot one, and a jacket is normal on it even in midsummer.

Fog is the local specialty. Cool ocean water all around the island makes thick fog common, and it can close the view down to the near shoreline for hours, hiding the lighthouse completely. Precipitation is heavy, at roughly 1,217 millimeters (47.9 inches) a year, with December and January the wettest months and the surf on this exposed corner of the Atlantic running hardest. The Hawk Webcam is at its most useful on a clear day between spring and fall, when the light lasts and the lighthouse holds the horizon.

Things to Do Near The Hawk

Hawk Beach is the main draw, and the low tide walk out to the drowned forest is the thing to time. Birdwatching is the other reason to come. The area is an Important Bird Area and one of the better migration sites in eastern Canada, with hawks, warblers, sea ducks, falcons and owls moving through in spring and fall, and shorebirds working the flats in between. North of the beach, in Centreville, the Archelaus Smith Museum occupies a two story Second Empire house and covers local fishing gear, shipwrecks and the Cape Island boat. It is named for Archelaus Smith, who reached Barrington in 1761 and then Cape Sable Island, the first New England settler here to leave descendants.

The island is reached by a causeway that opened to cars and pedestrians on August 5, 1949, and Clark’s Harbour, the largest community on it, is a working fishing town rather than a resort. On Tuesday evenings from June through September the Queen of Hearts Dory Club runs dory rowing at the Cape Sable Island Causeway at 6 PM and will teach anyone who turns up. Barrington, on the mainland side, calls itself the Lobster Capital of Canada and hosts the Shelburne County Lobster Festival. The Cape Islander, the motor fishing boat most of the local fleet descends from, was developed on this island around 1905.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Three more coastal cameras worth a look after this one.

• Peggy’s Cove Webcam
• Antigonish Webcam
• Castlepoint Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is The Hawk located?

The Hawk is at the southern end of Cape Sable Island, in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the most southerly community in the province and the most southerly in Canada outside Ontario. The island connects to the mainland by a causeway near Barrington.

What can you see on The Hawk Webcam?

A white sand beach, the tidal flats behind it, the water of Hawk Inlet, and Cape Sable Lighthouse standing offshore. Lobster boats pass through the channel, and at low tide the stumps of the drowned forest appear across the sand.

What is the drowned forest at Hawk Beach?

It is a broad area of tree stumps roughly 1,500 years old, still rooted in the original soil, left behind when rising sea levels swallowed the forest that grew there. The stumps are exposed at low tide and covered again when the water returns.

Can you visit Cape Sable Lighthouse?

Not by road. The lighthouse sits on a separate island across Hawk Inlet, so the only way to reach it is by boat. Most people settle for the view from Hawk Beach, which is where this camera points.

What is the weather like at The Hawk, Nova Scotia?

Oceanic and moderate. February averages around -2 C (28 F), and daily highs peak near 15 C (59 F) in late August and early September. Roughly 1,217 millimeters (47.9 inches) of precipitation falls a year, and thick fog is frequent.

When is the best time to see the drowned forest?

At low tide. The stumps sit under water for much of the tidal cycle, so checking a tide table for Cape Sable Island before setting out is worth the minute it takes.

Is Hawk Beach good for birdwatching?

Yes. It is part of an Important Bird Area and one of the stronger migration points in eastern Canada. Spring and fall bring hawks, warblers, falcons, sea ducks and owls, and shorebirds feed on the flats through the season.

Who operates The Hawk Webcam?

Nova Scotia Webcams runs the camera in partnership with W. Sears Seafoods, a local seafood plant. The same operator streams several other cameras around the province.

Source: Nova Scotia Webcams