Sheep Island

MCHT acquired Sheep Island in 2021, thanks to support from a generous conservation buyer and donations from many local supporters.

The island is roughly linear along a north-south axis, with a prominent narrow lobe extending to the east along the northern shore. A tidally submerged bar stretches from the southern end of the eastern shore out to Cutter’s Nubble, a high, rocky islet with a thin veneer of soil and vegetation. The main island’s shoreline includes a mix of exposed bedrock ledge, gravel and cobble beaches, eroding bluffs, and a very small patch of sand where the eastern part of the northern shoreline transitions from cobble to ledge. Although the shoreline does not have an official hiking trail, much of it is walkable (note: footing is rough in places and more difficult during high tide).

Sheep Island’s interior is dominated by extensive wetlands and thick forests. Wetlands include alder shrub-scrub, spruce-fir-cinnamon fern forest, and graminoid marsh. The forested areas are mostly a mix of white and red spruce, balsam fir, red maple, and yellow and white birch. Near the campsite and small cabin, the landscape is more open, dominated by hay-scented ferns with only a few isolated canopy trees.

Visitors are likely to encounter many species of birds during spring and fall migration. In the summer months, look for cormorants, loons, and seals feeding in the surrounding surf, and watch for osprey and eagles scanning the waters from above. You can also listen for common songbirds like black-throated green warblers and white-throated sparrows singing from the canopy.