Believe it or not we came to Newfoundland mainly to see
Atlantic puffins. They can be
found in Nova Scotia and even in Maine but we took a cruise from Bay Bulls to
the main breeding area at Witless Bay near St. John’s. Gull Island is home to 1.5 million
birds including black-legged kittiwakes and both common and thick-billed
mures. The razorbills, cousins to
puffins, had departed the previous week; their chicks fledged and ready to fly.
Before we even left the harbor we ran into the area’s other
attraction, three humpback whales.
Like the birds and the codfish, humpbacks are attracted by the huge
schools of capelin, the anchovy-like fish that keep the economy rolling. Codfishing, currently suspended due to
over-fishing, is what drew the people to the area in the first place. Speaking of the people, Bay Bulls and
Witless Bay are on the “Irish Loop.”
The accent is very Celtic and I had to smile when women called me
“darhlin’.
The seabird sanctuary at Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve
is a must see. Twelve thousand
northern gannets nest on the seamount only a few meters away. Not only are the gannets a fantastic
sight, the area is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
