August 16 – Puffins, Gannets and Murres – O Canada

Newfoundland is known for its colorful buildings and is a place we have wanted to visit for a quite a long time. Getting there is not so easy, but well worth it once you get there. Our flight from Tampa took us through Toronto, next into Halifax, Nova Scotia and then we were finally on our way to St. John’s, Newfoundland.  Thanks to Mike’s research we stayed at the historic Murray Premises, an awesome place right in the heart of downtown St. John’s and the waterfront district. St. John’s nightlife rocks on the weekends but that had to wait after such a long travel day.
Newfoundland

Newfoundland

Murray Premises

Murray Premises

Early on Sunday morning we meet our guide, Alvan Buckley in the parking lot of the Dominion Supermarket  next to Quidi Vidi Lake. We found Alvan through Birding Pal and highly recommend the referral service. Alvan, always on his game, was scoping birds on the lake as we pulled in and we were soon joined by another birding couple. We began to head down the Avalon Peninsula where we got our first look at the amazing scenery on this large Canadian island. Our first stop was Cape Broyle where there were 10 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Great Black-backed Gulls and our first of this trip Northern Gannet. Moving down the coast we hit the mother load at Renews bay and beach where there were at least 50 Gannets, 100 Atlantic Puffin (Life Bird) and 5 Common Tern to go  along with a variety of shorebirds, warblers and sparrows. It just kept getting better and at Portugal Cove we saw White-winged Scoter, Razorbill and Black Guillemot. Continuing on we stopped at Long Beach where there were 27 Whimbrel and a pair of White-rumped Sandpipers. The beach here is covered with millions of small smooth stones that make a very cool shimmering sound when rolled back and forth by the action of the surf.
Common Tern

Common Tern

Long Beach

Long Beach

Razorbill

Razorbill

 

The most anticipated destination of the day awaited us at Cape Race and on the drive in you get an amazing view of the Newfoundland shoreline where the sheer, several hundred foot high cliffs drop off into the clear, blue ocean waters along a rocky coast. There is a very picturesque lighthouse at Cape Race and as we walked the area we saw many Black-legged Kittiwake, Atlantic Puffins and more Northern Gannet. Bird watching was almost secondary  because of the incredible scenery and looking over the cliffs into the cove below us there were many seals playing in the surf and lounging on the rocks on the sunny summer day. The best part of this stop though was when Alvan took us over to meet the lighthouse keeper, who lives year-round in the house on site.  The really friendly man, who we cannot thank enough, invited us in and offered us not only a fresh cup of coffee, but a delicious homemade cake as well. It is amazing how nice the people are here. You really gotta love this place! We didn’t want to leave, but it was time to head back to St. John’s and on the way we stopped at Shott’s Sod Farm where we found in the scope, an American Golden-Plover! Heading back up the coast back at Renew’s Bay we saw Arctic and Common Terns along with many Yellowlegs and Plovers in the outgoing tidal wash.
Cape Race Cliffs

Cape Race Cliffs

Harp Seals

Harp Seals

 

Cape Race Lighthouse

Cape Race Lighthouse

After a great day of birding we enjoyed a really nice dinner with our new friend Alvan at the Yellowbelly Brewery just across the street from our hotel. Alvan told us he is planning to finish his Bachelor’s degree and then attend Medical school. The Canadian government provides financing to gifted students like Alvan who in return agree to provide their services within the healthcare system. Alvan plans to return to St. John’s to open his practice and we are certain this fine young man is destined to have a prosperous and noble life as one of the best doctors in Newfoundland.
Alvan Buckley

Alvan Buckley

Yellow Belly Brewery

Yellow Belly Brewery

The next morning was a very special one as we woke up early, grabbed coffee and breakfast bars for the short ride out to Cape Spear. The lighthouse is located on the easternmost point in North America and along with a couple of dozen other early risers we were about to see the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean before anyone else on this continent. We see a lot of sunsets in Florida, but this is really something special and a memory we will never forget. Besides, there were birds that morning and we added Northern Flicker, Black-capped Chickadee and Savannah Sparrow to our Newfoundland list.
Cape Spear Lighthouse

Cape Spear Lighthouse

First North American Sunrise

First North American Sunrise

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker

 

Next, while driving Highway 91 after the town of Colinet, the road became an unpaved gravel surface and you  pass through a Boreal pine forest for the next 20 miles or so.  On the way to the western coast our first stop was at a stunning waterfall in the Cataracts Provincial Park where the boardwalk offers excellent photo ops. Moving along, as Sharon studied the habitat we got the feeling there may be a life bird Boreal Chickadee in the area, so we stopped and after just several minutes we located one in the pine trees. What a beautiful bird it is and one we have tried to find many times in the Adirondack mountains. A little further down the road we came across a pair of Gray Jays and even though some birders will not agree with this, we dropped a few peanuts on the ground as a treat for the Jays.
Boreal Chickadee

Boreal Chickadee

Cataracts Provincial Park Waterfall

Cataracts Provincial Park Waterfall

This was surely going to be a big day for us because our plan was to drive all the way across the Avalon Peninsula to the famous Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Preserve, which is home to one of the largest Northern Gannet breeding colonies found anywhere in the world. Stay tuned for Part Two of our trip to Newfoundland.

 

Next up: Puffins, Gannets and Murres – Part Two

Trip : Total Species:    Year Birds:    Life Birds: (Note: These birds do not count for our Lower 48 big year)

2015 : Year Birds: 402   Life Birds: 44 

Here’s the list: 2015 Bird List