Witless Bay and Cape Spear
The Atlantic Puffin is Newfoundland’s official bird, so, together with friends from St. John’s, we took a boat down near Witless Bay to do some whale and puffin watching. Turns out the whales were so numerous — cavorting for an hour or so beside the catamaran — that the captain ran out of time, and we passed by the island where the puffins breed and raise their young in some haste to return to port. So the harvest of puffin photographs is meagre. Nevertheless, I managed to capture a few in various stages of flight, as well as some whales and a few thousand common murres. (I had done much better with puffins last summer on the sanctuary of Machias Island off the coast of New Brunswick where, unlike here at the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, one can make landing and walk on the island. I’ll cheat slightly and offer up one photograph from that trip.)
Three on a boat: Lorne, Mike, Susan
Whale of a tail
Whale and Murres
Tail of a Whale
Atlantic Puffin: Cleared for take-off.
Atlantic Puffin: Up and away
Atlantic Puffin: Eight-point landing
Mostly murres. Count ’em!
Puffin: Taken last summer at Machias Island off the coast of New Brunswick.
Running out of Canada
Cape Spear is the most easterly point in Canada. So, after three weeks on the road, standing on this spot, I’ve finally run out of Newfoundland, run out of Canada, run out of North America, and run out of the Western Hemisphere. Since, as one wag put it, “The road to Ireland looks a wee bit flooded”, there is only one option: turn back westward. The coast here is steeped in history and lore, beginning 8,000 years or so with the first humans, to the arrival of the Europeans in the 16th century, on through the time of the German U-Boats which plied these waters in great numbers, to the resource-rich present.
Frend Susan (Madhurta) at Cape Spear, the most easterly point of Newfoundland
Cape Spear lighthouse. I met a friend in St. John’s who grew up in a lighthouse (but not this one). How cool is that?
Quidi Vidi harbour to the north of downtown St. John’s
After three weeks, your blogster has merged with The Rock (Photo: Susan Randall)
(Blog Covers July 22, 2013)
Although I’ve already arrived back in Ottawa, I owe you one last blog post: The trip to the Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve July 23 and the huge colony of Northern Gannets down there. I’ll post it in a day or two.
To be continued . . .
Well, a heartfelt thanks and welcome back, and you deserve to lie down after all this.
We are still eagerly waiting for the last blog about the gannets. Thanks for the repeat of that puffin picture. Their head and beak just make our mouths hang open!
Thanks Tim, Arja. The puffin opportunities this time around were a little more meagre. But I don’t hear myself complaining! 🙂
beautiful shots john. thanks.
From someone who has crossed this mighty land from west to central ss I have been doing from east to central, thanks! I should have had your camper van!
It was just wonderful to see you here jd. Your enthusiasm and love for life inspires us all! Thank you for your visit; the keynotes for me were joy, laughter, light, and the aftermath of now taking my camera with me wherever I go. You have dissolved all distance with this blog! That last puffin picture is a gem.
Thanks M! Great connection, great whaling, great biking!
Beautiful shots, John. Love the comment about the road to Ireland being flooded. I understand some of my Irish forebears used to bewail that fact.
Cape Spear, the most easterly part of North America. Did you know that the rock upon which you are lying came from North Africa? Tectonic plates and all that motion !