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The seasonal inhabitants of this island are noisy. And smelly. And they come by the thousands, with their offspring and their strange customs.

They are gannets -- downy, cream-colored seabirds -- and each year between April and October 100,000 of them take up residence on Bonaventure Island, a tiny picture-perfect island just off the east coast of Quebec's Gaspé region. They form the largest gannet colony in North America and the second-largest in the world (the other is in Scotland).

Even if you don't consider yourself a birdwatcher, and even if you've never heard of gannets, they create an unforgettable spectacle.

A one-hour boat ride takes you from the nearest town, Percé, past Bonaventure's cliffs and beaches -- which are literally white with birds -- to a landing dock. From here, choose any of four trails through woods and meadows to the bird colony. The shortest, easiest trail, called the Colony, is 2.7 kilometres (one way), but the trails intersect so you can sample various routes.

You'll pass fields of wildflowers like purple fireweed and goldenrod. Seals cavort offshore from the rocky beaches. But the most amazing sight is the birds' nesting area. Long before you see them, you'll hear the cacophony of cawing and squawking. Often two birds will clack their beaks together in a sign of affection.

The smell of their guano is powerful too. If you plan to picnic, you'll want to eat elsewhere on the island.

It's hard to imagine seeing 100,000 of any living thing swarming about, never mind 100,000 creatures twice the size of the average seagull. Their din and the sight of them jostling, marching around and tending to their fluffy babies is at once comical and wondrous.

The cruise from Percé offers other memorable sights as well, passing by a well-known Canadian landmark -- Rocher Percé, which means "pierced rock." This arched cliff rises 290 feet from the sea, a dramatic outcropping with a hole bored clean through like a natural tunnel.

At low tide, you can walk to Rocher Percé from the Percé beach. A naturalist is on hand to answer questions. Once you reach the cliff, resist the temptation to walk through the arch itself; the rocks here are unstable and treacherous.

Stay the night before your trip to Bonaventure Island at a hotel in or near Percé so you can take a morning cruise and have most of the day on the island. The first boat leaves at 9 a.m., and the last one back departs the island at 5 p.m.

Before you leave Percé, get a prepared picnic from La Boîte à Lunch, or do some quick shopping at the Co-op market -- L'association co-opérative de Percé -- on the main street across from the wharf. There you'll find luscious native strawberries, cheese, bread and paté, along with chips, drinks and cookies.

Getting to Percé is a long trip for most visitors. The nearest major city, Moncton, N.B.,, is 608 kilometres away. The 760-kilometre journey from Quebec City, however, offers unique opportunities for sightseeing, like a stop in Tadoussac for a whale-watching tour of the St. Lawrence River. Or, just keep your eyes open en route to Percé as you drive along Highway 132 between towns like Ste. Anne-des-Monts and Petite Vallée. So many whales inhabit the river this time of year that you can see them spouting their fountains of foamy white even if you're driving by at highway speed.

And once on Bonaventure Island, you'll find its human history as interesting as the wildlife. Immigrants from the British isle of Jersey, as well as Ireland and France, settled here as early as 1800. Two dozen wood-frame buildings, some dating back to the mid-19th century, still dot the island. Most the residents worked as fishermen until the island was declared a protected bird sanctuary in 1919, when wildlife officials hired some of them to watch the colony.

Pack your bags

GETTING THERE

Air Canada flies from Quebec City and Montreal to the town of Gaspé, about 65 kilometres from Percé. Driving distances to Percé are about 980 kilometres from Montreal and 760 here too. dp.kilometres from Quebec City.

Bonaventure Island: Boats run throughout the day from Percé to the island from late spring to mid-October. Round-trip boat fare for adults, $20; children 6 to 12, $6. An additional $4 park fee is collected either on the island or at an interpretation centre you can visit beforehand on the mainland. For more information, call 418-782-2240.

Rocher Percé: From the Percé beach, it's a 20-minute walk at low tide to the outcropping.

WHERE TO STAY

Hotels and eateries abound in the Gaspé region. For more information, call the Percé Tourism Bureau at 418-782-5448 or visit www.perce.info.