Sable Island Institute
@sable-institute.bsky.social
The SII's goal is to bring the natural and cultural values and legacy of Sable Island to the public through programs of research, conservation, and education.
We are a registered charity. For more information visit our website at: sableislandinstitute.org
We are a registered charity. For more information visit our website at: sableislandinstitute.org
2/3: … With less water on the beach & lighter winds, the flow looks less like turbulent rapids & more like a gently rippling stream. For now, until the next storm. #storm #beachflooding
Photos Zoe Lucas. …
Photos Zoe Lucas. …
November 24, 2025 at 1:51 AM
2/3: … With less water on the beach & lighter winds, the flow looks less like turbulent rapids & more like a gently rippling stream. For now, until the next storm. #storm #beachflooding
Photos Zoe Lucas. …
Photos Zoe Lucas. …
1/3🧵: Floodwater and the Stream. 🌎 #SableIslandwx #NSwx
A cool, sunny day on #SableIsland with max temp 7.1°C & NW wind of 20-25 kts. South beach is still flooded, but the water is not as deep & extensive as it was, & is still draining off through the cut at the eastern end of the Sandy Plain….
A cool, sunny day on #SableIsland with max temp 7.1°C & NW wind of 20-25 kts. South beach is still flooded, but the water is not as deep & extensive as it was, & is still draining off through the cut at the eastern end of the Sandy Plain….
November 24, 2025 at 1:51 AM
1/3🧵: Floodwater and the Stream. 🌎 #SableIslandwx #NSwx
A cool, sunny day on #SableIsland with max temp 7.1°C & NW wind of 20-25 kts. South beach is still flooded, but the water is not as deep & extensive as it was, & is still draining off through the cut at the eastern end of the Sandy Plain….
A cool, sunny day on #SableIsland with max temp 7.1°C & NW wind of 20-25 kts. South beach is still flooded, but the water is not as deep & extensive as it was, & is still draining off through the cut at the eastern end of the Sandy Plain….
4/4: … the freshwater ponds near West Light.
The second photo shows horses gathered in the West Spit waterhole area. #sableislandnpr #parkscanada
Photos Zoe Lucas.
For more about Sable Island: sableislandinstitute.org
The second photo shows horses gathered in the West Spit waterhole area. #sableislandnpr #parkscanada
Photos Zoe Lucas.
For more about Sable Island: sableislandinstitute.org
November 22, 2025 at 11:45 AM
4/4: … the freshwater ponds near West Light.
The second photo shows horses gathered in the West Spit waterhole area. #sableislandnpr #parkscanada
Photos Zoe Lucas.
For more about Sable Island: sableislandinstitute.org
The second photo shows horses gathered in the West Spit waterhole area. #sableislandnpr #parkscanada
Photos Zoe Lucas.
For more about Sable Island: sableislandinstitute.org
3/4: …Although marram & beach pea are primary forages for the horses, they feed on many other plants.
The first photo shows horses (28 visible) grazing in the broad grassy fields on the West Spit. Depending on the season, they can drink at the waterhole area on the spit or trek eastward to …
The first photo shows horses (28 visible) grazing in the broad grassy fields on the West Spit. Depending on the season, they can drink at the waterhole area on the spit or trek eastward to …
November 22, 2025 at 11:45 AM
3/4: …Although marram & beach pea are primary forages for the horses, they feed on many other plants.
The first photo shows horses (28 visible) grazing in the broad grassy fields on the West Spit. Depending on the season, they can drink at the waterhole area on the spit or trek eastward to …
The first photo shows horses (28 visible) grazing in the broad grassy fields on the West Spit. Depending on the season, they can drink at the waterhole area on the spit or trek eastward to …
1/4🧵: Sable Island Horses on the West Spit.🌎🌿 #SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #wildhorses #wildhorsesofSable
Although photos of bare sand, bald dunes, & floodwater, might, to some, suggest a bleak landscape for horses, there are abundant areas of vegetated terrain. Plant communities include sheltered …
Although photos of bare sand, bald dunes, & floodwater, might, to some, suggest a bleak landscape for horses, there are abundant areas of vegetated terrain. Plant communities include sheltered …
November 22, 2025 at 11:45 AM
1/4🧵: Sable Island Horses on the West Spit.🌎🌿 #SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #wildhorses #wildhorsesofSable
Although photos of bare sand, bald dunes, & floodwater, might, to some, suggest a bleak landscape for horses, there are abundant areas of vegetated terrain. Plant communities include sheltered …
Although photos of bare sand, bald dunes, & floodwater, might, to some, suggest a bleak landscape for horses, there are abundant areas of vegetated terrain. Plant communities include sheltered …
1/2🧵: A Calm in November. 🌎 #NorthAtlantic #SableIslandwx #NSwx #lighttower
Yesterday, with a clear blue sky, a max temp of 9.1°C , & a NW breeze of only 6-8 kts, it felt like a calm day in late summer on #SableIsland. By mid afternoon clouds began moving across the island, but the wind didn’t …
Yesterday, with a clear blue sky, a max temp of 9.1°C , & a NW breeze of only 6-8 kts, it felt like a calm day in late summer on #SableIsland. By mid afternoon clouds began moving across the island, but the wind didn’t …
November 22, 2025 at 12:30 AM
1/2🧵: A Calm in November. 🌎 #NorthAtlantic #SableIslandwx #NSwx #lighttower
Yesterday, with a clear blue sky, a max temp of 9.1°C , & a NW breeze of only 6-8 kts, it felt like a calm day in late summer on #SableIsland. By mid afternoon clouds began moving across the island, but the wind didn’t …
Yesterday, with a clear blue sky, a max temp of 9.1°C , & a NW breeze of only 6-8 kts, it felt like a calm day in late summer on #SableIsland. By mid afternoon clouds began moving across the island, but the wind didn’t …
Sand Patterns on North Beach.
The high winds constantly sculpt Sable Island’s sand into large and dramatic drifts and ridges, but they also create finer effects such as the countless ripples that look like wind-driven waves of sand flowing across the flat, bare areas of beach.
Photo Zoe Lucas.
The high winds constantly sculpt Sable Island’s sand into large and dramatic drifts and ridges, but they also create finer effects such as the countless ripples that look like wind-driven waves of sand flowing across the flat, bare areas of beach.
Photo Zoe Lucas.
November 20, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Sand Patterns on North Beach.
The high winds constantly sculpt Sable Island’s sand into large and dramatic drifts and ridges, but they also create finer effects such as the countless ripples that look like wind-driven waves of sand flowing across the flat, bare areas of beach.
Photo Zoe Lucas.
The high winds constantly sculpt Sable Island’s sand into large and dramatic drifts and ridges, but they also create finer effects such as the countless ripples that look like wind-driven waves of sand flowing across the flat, bare areas of beach.
Photo Zoe Lucas.
1/2🧵: Bald Dune & One Horse
This massive hill of unvegetated sand is a #wanderingdune, slowly migrating across #SableIsland as windblown sand is moved from its north side to the south. It’s more complicated, but that’s the general idea. Most of the time the dune has a huge, smooth top. But with the…
This massive hill of unvegetated sand is a #wanderingdune, slowly migrating across #SableIsland as windblown sand is moved from its north side to the south. It’s more complicated, but that’s the general idea. Most of the time the dune has a huge, smooth top. But with the…
November 19, 2025 at 12:18 AM
1/2🧵: Bald Dune & One Horse
This massive hill of unvegetated sand is a #wanderingdune, slowly migrating across #SableIsland as windblown sand is moved from its north side to the south. It’s more complicated, but that’s the general idea. Most of the time the dune has a huge, smooth top. But with the…
This massive hill of unvegetated sand is a #wanderingdune, slowly migrating across #SableIsland as windblown sand is moved from its north side to the south. It’s more complicated, but that’s the general idea. Most of the time the dune has a huge, smooth top. But with the…
4/4: … with the response of the rusty, sandblasted metal, storm waves washed over the berm & the carrier was surrounded by ocean floodwater on the south beach.
Photos Zoe Lucas. #rosemorrisonmusic #SableIsland #floodedbeach
#sableislandnpr #parkscanada
#sableislandnationalparkreserve
Photos Zoe Lucas. #rosemorrisonmusic #SableIsland #floodedbeach
#sableislandnpr #parkscanada
#sableislandnationalparkreserve
November 17, 2025 at 11:49 PM
4/4: … with the response of the rusty, sandblasted metal, storm waves washed over the berm & the carrier was surrounded by ocean floodwater on the south beach.
Photos Zoe Lucas. #rosemorrisonmusic #SableIsland #floodedbeach
#sableislandnpr #parkscanada
#sableislandnationalparkreserve
Photos Zoe Lucas. #rosemorrisonmusic #SableIsland #floodedbeach
#sableislandnpr #parkscanada
#sableislandnationalparkreserve
2/4: …on the rusted & half-buried remains of a Bren Gun Carrier – a lightly armoured, tracked vehicle used during World War II. It was not in service on Sable during the war, but was brought to the island in the late 1940s, & used to haul wagons & lifeboats, & move heavy loads, to speed up work…
November 17, 2025 at 11:49 PM
2/4: …on the rusted & half-buried remains of a Bren Gun Carrier – a lightly armoured, tracked vehicle used during World War II. It was not in service on Sable during the war, but was brought to the island in the late 1940s, & used to haul wagons & lifeboats, & move heavy loads, to speed up work…
1/4🧵: Bren Gun Carrier and a Snippet of History. 🌎 🐡 #SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #sciart #WWII #history
While on the island, Rose Morrison, Sable’s first #ArtisinResidence, explored the sounds of both natural & human artifacts & materials. Here she listens to the tones created as she rapped ….
While on the island, Rose Morrison, Sable’s first #ArtisinResidence, explored the sounds of both natural & human artifacts & materials. Here she listens to the tones created as she rapped ….
November 17, 2025 at 11:49 PM
1/4🧵: Bren Gun Carrier and a Snippet of History. 🌎 🐡 #SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #sciart #WWII #history
While on the island, Rose Morrison, Sable’s first #ArtisinResidence, explored the sounds of both natural & human artifacts & materials. Here she listens to the tones created as she rapped ….
While on the island, Rose Morrison, Sable’s first #ArtisinResidence, explored the sounds of both natural & human artifacts & materials. Here she listens to the tones created as she rapped ….
1/4🧵: Sable Island Harbour Seal. 🌎🌿 #SableIslandnpr #NorthAtlantic
#beachsurvey #HarbourSeals
Yesterday, the survey was paused for a lone Harbour seal who had been snoozing about 30 m away from the sea's edge. (The water in the background is an area of shallow flooding from the last storm.) …
#beachsurvey #HarbourSeals
Yesterday, the survey was paused for a lone Harbour seal who had been snoozing about 30 m away from the sea's edge. (The water in the background is an area of shallow flooding from the last storm.) …
November 17, 2025 at 1:30 AM
1/4🧵: Sable Island Harbour Seal. 🌎🌿 #SableIslandnpr #NorthAtlantic
#beachsurvey #HarbourSeals
Yesterday, the survey was paused for a lone Harbour seal who had been snoozing about 30 m away from the sea's edge. (The water in the background is an area of shallow flooding from the last storm.) …
#beachsurvey #HarbourSeals
Yesterday, the survey was paused for a lone Harbour seal who had been snoozing about 30 m away from the sea's edge. (The water in the background is an area of shallow flooding from the last storm.) …
1/2🧵: Autumn Afternoon. 🌎 #NorthAtlantic #SableIslandwx #NSwx
With a NW wind gusting to 23 kts, heavy, broken cloud, & a max temp of 6.2°C, today was the chilliest so far this fall. A family band of four Sable Island horses stand resting in a marram field. Although the lower parts of the leaves …
With a NW wind gusting to 23 kts, heavy, broken cloud, & a max temp of 6.2°C, today was the chilliest so far this fall. A family band of four Sable Island horses stand resting in a marram field. Although the lower parts of the leaves …
November 16, 2025 at 1:28 AM
1/2🧵: Autumn Afternoon. 🌎 #NorthAtlantic #SableIslandwx #NSwx
With a NW wind gusting to 23 kts, heavy, broken cloud, & a max temp of 6.2°C, today was the chilliest so far this fall. A family band of four Sable Island horses stand resting in a marram field. Although the lower parts of the leaves …
With a NW wind gusting to 23 kts, heavy, broken cloud, & a max temp of 6.2°C, today was the chilliest so far this fall. A family band of four Sable Island horses stand resting in a marram field. Although the lower parts of the leaves …
1/2🧵: Sable Island Rainbow. 🌎 #NorthAtlantic #SableIslandwx #NSwx
With a SW wind gusting to 28 kts, a max temp of 9.7°C, towering white clouds & occasional light showers, yesterday was a fine day to begin a survey on south beach.
At 9:45 am, during a bright burst of rain, a full #rainbow developed…
With a SW wind gusting to 28 kts, a max temp of 9.7°C, towering white clouds & occasional light showers, yesterday was a fine day to begin a survey on south beach.
At 9:45 am, during a bright burst of rain, a full #rainbow developed…
November 15, 2025 at 1:15 PM
1/2🧵: Sable Island Rainbow. 🌎 #NorthAtlantic #SableIslandwx #NSwx
With a SW wind gusting to 28 kts, a max temp of 9.7°C, towering white clouds & occasional light showers, yesterday was a fine day to begin a survey on south beach.
At 9:45 am, during a bright burst of rain, a full #rainbow developed…
With a SW wind gusting to 28 kts, a max temp of 9.7°C, towering white clouds & occasional light showers, yesterday was a fine day to begin a survey on south beach.
At 9:45 am, during a bright burst of rain, a full #rainbow developed…
1/3🧵: Holding Sand
🌎🌿 🐡 #wildhorses #wildhorsesofSable #sanddunes #windblownsand
An autumn scene with four #SableIsland horses grazing in the distance on a high inland dune, providing a sense of scale.
Sable Island & the coastal beaches & dune systems of mainland #NovaScotia & #CapeBreton …
🌎🌿 🐡 #wildhorses #wildhorsesofSable #sanddunes #windblownsand
An autumn scene with four #SableIsland horses grazing in the distance on a high inland dune, providing a sense of scale.
Sable Island & the coastal beaches & dune systems of mainland #NovaScotia & #CapeBreton …
November 12, 2025 at 7:22 PM
1/3🧵: Holding Sand
🌎🌿 🐡 #wildhorses #wildhorsesofSable #sanddunes #windblownsand
An autumn scene with four #SableIsland horses grazing in the distance on a high inland dune, providing a sense of scale.
Sable Island & the coastal beaches & dune systems of mainland #NovaScotia & #CapeBreton …
🌎🌿 🐡 #wildhorses #wildhorsesofSable #sanddunes #windblownsand
An autumn scene with four #SableIsland horses grazing in the distance on a high inland dune, providing a sense of scale.
Sable Island & the coastal beaches & dune systems of mainland #NovaScotia & #CapeBreton …
1/3🧵: November 11, 2025. We Remember.
#ArtistinResidence @rosemorrisonmusic, on #SableIsland, playing “Heavy is My Fate”, a traditional #ScottishAir commonly played in #CapeBreton. We recorded it on Sunday morning before the helicopter arrived & Rose left the island…. #fiddletune #music…
#ArtistinResidence @rosemorrisonmusic, on #SableIsland, playing “Heavy is My Fate”, a traditional #ScottishAir commonly played in #CapeBreton. We recorded it on Sunday morning before the helicopter arrived & Rose left the island…. #fiddletune #music…
November 11, 2025 at 4:40 PM
1/3🧵: November 11, 2025. We Remember.
#ArtistinResidence @rosemorrisonmusic, on #SableIsland, playing “Heavy is My Fate”, a traditional #ScottishAir commonly played in #CapeBreton. We recorded it on Sunday morning before the helicopter arrived & Rose left the island…. #fiddletune #music…
#ArtistinResidence @rosemorrisonmusic, on #SableIsland, playing “Heavy is My Fate”, a traditional #ScottishAir commonly played in #CapeBreton. We recorded it on Sunday morning before the helicopter arrived & Rose left the island…. #fiddletune #music…
1/3🧵: The Remains of the Pine 🌎 🐡
#sciart #artistinresidence #rosemorrisonmusic
Before the helicopter arrived, we went to Pinetree Pond West, a freshwater pond that had been named for the Scots Pine that lived on the slope near the eastern end of the pond. The tree died a few years ago & …
#sciart #artistinresidence #rosemorrisonmusic
Before the helicopter arrived, we went to Pinetree Pond West, a freshwater pond that had been named for the Scots Pine that lived on the slope near the eastern end of the pond. The tree died a few years ago & …
November 11, 2025 at 11:41 AM
1/3🧵: The Remains of the Pine 🌎 🐡
#sciart #artistinresidence #rosemorrisonmusic
Before the helicopter arrived, we went to Pinetree Pond West, a freshwater pond that had been named for the Scots Pine that lived on the slope near the eastern end of the pond. The tree died a few years ago & …
#sciart #artistinresidence #rosemorrisonmusic
Before the helicopter arrived, we went to Pinetree Pond West, a freshwater pond that had been named for the Scots Pine that lived on the slope near the eastern end of the pond. The tree died a few years ago & …
2/4: …personnel, contractors, & supplies, & there was a seat for Rose. It was a lovely day for flying & for aerial views of the island.
So, the on-island part of the 2025 #residencyprogram is over. Rose has shared her spirit, vision, art, & enthusiasm with Sable, & will continue to work…
So, the on-island part of the 2025 #residencyprogram is over. Rose has shared her spirit, vision, art, & enthusiasm with Sable, & will continue to work…
November 10, 2025 at 9:51 PM
2/4: …personnel, contractors, & supplies, & there was a seat for Rose. It was a lovely day for flying & for aerial views of the island.
So, the on-island part of the 2025 #residencyprogram is over. Rose has shared her spirit, vision, art, & enthusiasm with Sable, & will continue to work…
So, the on-island part of the 2025 #residencyprogram is over. Rose has shared her spirit, vision, art, & enthusiasm with Sable, & will continue to work…
1/4🧵: Boarding the Helicopter. 🌎 🐡
Rose Morrison, Sable’s #artistinresidence, left the island yesterday afternoon. Since the beach was too wet for a fixed-wing landing & the flight had already been delayed by four days, #ParksCanada chartered a Vision Air Services helicopter to transport Parks …
Rose Morrison, Sable’s #artistinresidence, left the island yesterday afternoon. Since the beach was too wet for a fixed-wing landing & the flight had already been delayed by four days, #ParksCanada chartered a Vision Air Services helicopter to transport Parks …
November 10, 2025 at 9:51 PM
1/4🧵: Boarding the Helicopter. 🌎 🐡
Rose Morrison, Sable’s #artistinresidence, left the island yesterday afternoon. Since the beach was too wet for a fixed-wing landing & the flight had already been delayed by four days, #ParksCanada chartered a Vision Air Services helicopter to transport Parks …
Rose Morrison, Sable’s #artistinresidence, left the island yesterday afternoon. Since the beach was too wet for a fixed-wing landing & the flight had already been delayed by four days, #ParksCanada chartered a Vision Air Services helicopter to transport Parks …
2/3: … & sheltered by higher dunes, with moist to wet soils & lots of cranberry. This slack is now brimming with fresh water following the past two storms, & ripening cranberries, still tethered by their stalks, are bobbing at the surface. In July there are violets & 100s of magenta pink orchids …
November 9, 2025 at 1:42 PM
2/3: … & sheltered by higher dunes, with moist to wet soils & lots of cranberry. This slack is now brimming with fresh water following the past two storms, & ripening cranberries, still tethered by their stalks, are bobbing at the surface. In July there are violets & 100s of magenta pink orchids …
1/3🧵: Field Notes at a Dune Slack 🌎🌿#sciart 🐡 #SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #fieldnotes.
Yesterday Rose Morrison, Sable’s #ArtistinResidence, observed & recorded plant species in a dune slack just northeast of the West Light area. The slacks are usually areas of low elevation surrounded …
Yesterday Rose Morrison, Sable’s #ArtistinResidence, observed & recorded plant species in a dune slack just northeast of the West Light area. The slacks are usually areas of low elevation surrounded …
November 9, 2025 at 1:42 PM
1/3🧵: Field Notes at a Dune Slack 🌎🌿#sciart 🐡 #SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #fieldnotes.
Yesterday Rose Morrison, Sable’s #ArtistinResidence, observed & recorded plant species in a dune slack just northeast of the West Light area. The slacks are usually areas of low elevation surrounded …
Yesterday Rose Morrison, Sable’s #ArtistinResidence, observed & recorded plant species in a dune slack just northeast of the West Light area. The slacks are usually areas of low elevation surrounded …
1/2🧵: This Morning’s Sunrise over Soggy South Beach.
#SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #sunrise #SableIslandwx #NSwx #beachflooding
Following the strong winds of a few days ago, much of the wide and deep floodwater has been drained off through the channel at the southeastern end of the Sandy Plain….
#SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #sunrise #SableIslandwx #NSwx #beachflooding
Following the strong winds of a few days ago, much of the wide and deep floodwater has been drained off through the channel at the southeastern end of the Sandy Plain….
November 8, 2025 at 6:18 PM
1/2🧵: This Morning’s Sunrise over Soggy South Beach.
#SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #sunrise #SableIslandwx #NSwx #beachflooding
Following the strong winds of a few days ago, much of the wide and deep floodwater has been drained off through the channel at the southeastern end of the Sandy Plain….
#SableIsland #NorthAtlantic #sunrise #SableIslandwx #NSwx #beachflooding
Following the strong winds of a few days ago, much of the wide and deep floodwater has been drained off through the channel at the southeastern end of the Sandy Plain….
1/3🧵: Weather Pipe Music #sciart 🐡 #music #parkscanada
#SableIsland’s #ArtistinResidence, Rose Morrison, playing her viola as she listens to a melody created by wind blowing through a pipe that once served as a pole supporting equipment at the weather station….
#SableIsland’s #ArtistinResidence, Rose Morrison, playing her viola as she listens to a melody created by wind blowing through a pipe that once served as a pole supporting equipment at the weather station….
November 7, 2025 at 2:06 AM
1/3🧵: Weather Pipe Music #sciart 🐡 #music #parkscanada
#SableIsland’s #ArtistinResidence, Rose Morrison, playing her viola as she listens to a melody created by wind blowing through a pipe that once served as a pole supporting equipment at the weather station….
#SableIsland’s #ArtistinResidence, Rose Morrison, playing her viola as she listens to a melody created by wind blowing through a pipe that once served as a pole supporting equipment at the weather station….
3/3: …The second video shows the turbulent flow through the cut, and the blowing sand.
Videos Zoe Lucas.
For more about #SableIsland: sableislandinstitute.org
#sableislandnpr #parkscanada
#sableislandnationalparkreserve
Videos Zoe Lucas.
For more about #SableIsland: sableislandinstitute.org
#sableislandnpr #parkscanada
#sableislandnationalparkreserve
November 7, 2025 at 12:20 AM
3/3: …The second video shows the turbulent flow through the cut, and the blowing sand.
Videos Zoe Lucas.
For more about #SableIsland: sableislandinstitute.org
#sableislandnpr #parkscanada
#sableislandnationalparkreserve
Videos Zoe Lucas.
For more about #SableIsland: sableislandinstitute.org
#sableislandnpr #parkscanada
#sableislandnationalparkreserve
1/3🧵: High Winds Make a River. #storm #SableIslandwx
Most of #SableIsland’s south beach was flooded during the November 4th storm. Yesterday a strong northwesterly gusting to 40 kts pushed the floodwater eastward to a point where the water cut through the berm & began draining back into the ocean…
Most of #SableIsland’s south beach was flooded during the November 4th storm. Yesterday a strong northwesterly gusting to 40 kts pushed the floodwater eastward to a point where the water cut through the berm & began draining back into the ocean…
November 7, 2025 at 12:20 AM
1/3🧵: High Winds Make a River. #storm #SableIslandwx
Most of #SableIsland’s south beach was flooded during the November 4th storm. Yesterday a strong northwesterly gusting to 40 kts pushed the floodwater eastward to a point where the water cut through the berm & began draining back into the ocean…
Most of #SableIsland’s south beach was flooded during the November 4th storm. Yesterday a strong northwesterly gusting to 40 kts pushed the floodwater eastward to a point where the water cut through the berm & began draining back into the ocean…