Just after I published my blog last Sunday Jerry suggested that maybe we should just go and get the Caracara. We discussed, checked the forecast, not great, but decided to chance it anyway. If we did not go on the Monday it would not be possible to go until Oct 16. So we packed hastily for an overnight trip and Monday morning at 3:45am we set off for Foleyet and the Crested Caracara twitch (chase). It was an 8 hour drive with the first three in the dark and the last hour in rain but as we neared the town the rain stopped. The bird had been reported that morning so we first drove to the area it had been seen in but no large raptor present. We checked the school yard, another of its favourite haunts but again no bird. I then insisted we head to the rail yards as there have been many sightings at that spot. We got out of the car and Jerry walked over to check the tree line. There were crows and a raven calling and he thought perhaps they would be on the Caracara. I walked over and saw a white flash at the top of a tree quite a distance away but raising my bins I was pretty sure it would be THE BIRD! And it was! Jerry took a few distant pics and then we got back in the car to get closer to where it was sitting. It stayed at the top of the tree for about 5 minutes and then as we were turning our car around it took off and flew back into the other side of the town.
Crested Caracara
We drove back and checked some of the favourite spots but could not refind it. Stopped for gas at the store and took our time hoping it would reappear but it did not. What perfect timing with our arrival and finding the bird 15 minutes after we got there. We then had to decide what to do next. We had packed for a two day trip assuming we might need to find the bird the next morning but we really did not need to do that now. We has talked of driving towards Hilliardton to see some Redpolls but it seemed silly to spend the money on a hotel, if we could even find one with it being hunting season, when they are likely to show up around home this winter. We ended up just driving back home, another 8 hours and arrived at 9pm. A 17 hour twitch in one day!
The rest of the week was quiet from a birding point of view. Except for watching the Blue Jays! The baseball ones, not our yard birds. We spent time catching up on house chores, spending time with Babi and getting ready to host Thanksgiving for 21 family members and friends. We are still waiting for more NE or E winds to get some more lake watches in.
On Saturday Nelson’s Sparrows were found again at the Green Gate Pond in Cambridge. I was in the middle of baking for Thanksgiving so I told Jerry to go up and see if he could get a picture. We had a family gathering in the afternoon so we could not go later. Jerry went up and had two very co-operative Nelson’s kind of sit out for him and he took some nice pictures of them. Sunday morning we went back up so I could try and see them. Brett and Barb were there early and saw 3 and then kindly waited until we arrived to help me see them. It took about 30 minutes before I had a nice view, one came right out to the edge of the path and sat unobstructed for about 30 seconds allowing me great views without bins. It then flew to the other side of the path, we alerted a few other people and then it flew further into the grasses. That is textbook Nelson’s, the skulky sparrow.
Nelson’s Sparrow
Monday we had family and friends join us for a traditional turkey and ham dinner and we all watched the Blue Jays of course. Heartbreaking losses!
Week 41 1 species added 421 ebird 422 my list for J&E
On Tuesday there were NE winds in Hamilton which are good for lake watching. We need two Jaeger species and Sabine’s Gull so we planned to head in but made a stop in Dundas to see about getting a picture of a Nelson’s Sparrow. We only heard Nelson’s Sparrow in BC so it is on our list but we would like to see and photograph one. Nelson’s Sparrows are seldom seen in spring migration because they move through quickly but in the fall there are a number of traditional spots that they arrive and spend a few weeks before moving on in their migration. One spot is near along the Desjardins Canal and so we took the short walk through the tall goldenrod. Unfortunately, there were trucks and a crane working on the hydro towers so it was noisy. We stayed for a bit anyway but did not have these skulky birds pop up.
We headed to Van Wagners and set up for a lake watch. In the 3.5 hours we stayed we managed to see a few Parasitic Jaegers to add to our list. They were not close enough for a picture but close enough to identify. Well, to be fair, other birders confirmed their identity. We still have a tough time with Jaegers although we are getting better at it.
Wednesday morning was a repeat of Tuesday. First we checked for a Nelson’s Sparrow in Cambridge, then Desjardins Canal again and did not find them again so we headed to the lake again. The winds were stronger than the day before and it was chilly enough that I had long johns on and two layers of coats and gloves. There were quite a few birders there because the conditions were perfect for a Jaeger day but it was quiet. So much so that many birders left. Finally late in the day we saw 2 adult Parasitic Jaegers and had really nice scope views as they flew around out in the bay for an extended period of time. People with the big cameras managed to get decent pictures of them. We spent 6 hours there but did not have anything new. Such is lake watching…
Screen Shot of Margaret Hough’s picture shared with permissionJerry’s picture – Parasitic Jaegers
Thursday the winds were from the East instead of Northeast which can still be good but the forecast was for light winds. I didn’t think it would be very good but at the same time I knew it would be the last day of favourable winds for a week so we dropped in to Van Wagners after seeing Babi and doing some errands. It was lovely and warm again and chatting with other birders made the time pass quickly. We only stayed a few hours as there were few birds around and birders that had been there longer had nothing to show for the time either. Hopefully we will get Sabine’s Gulls in October and maybe if we are lucky a late Long-tailed Jaeger. We spent a total of 11 hours this week lake watching to get one new species.
A good day when the waves are like this!Snacks to alleviate boredomJerry making sure he doesn’t miss a Jaeger!Not great when the waves look like this – have I posted enough pics of us looking at water?
Friday I went to Vortex in Guelph to take my binoculars in for a repair. On day two of our East trip the focus wheel started acting up and it was an on and off problem for the whole month. I’ve had my Vortex Razor HD 8×42 binoculars since 2015 and they were fine for 6 years until the focus wheel first acted up in 2021. They had to be fixed again in 2022 and now again. They had me wait a few minutes and then brought me out a box with NEW BINOCULARS! Vortex has a life-time warranty and they stand behind that warranty. I bought Jerry a pair in 2017 and he has had them replaced twice after bad falls that broke the bins. I cannot understand why anyone would buy another brand without a life-time warranty. And they are an excellent binocular too! Vortex Rocks!
On Saturday we helped the Lions with the biyearly trash pickup along the major road in our community. When we got back home we started doing some gardening when the Discord chimes started going one after the other. Gray Kingbird, a Florida species, had been photographed at Princess Point in Hamilton in the morning but was not identified until 1:00 – we were in Hamilton at 1:57. There were 20 or so birders wandering around trying to refind the bird and more arrived while we were there. We covered the trails again and again all hoping to find a small gray bird catching insects. Unfortunately, it was not found. We stayed until after 5 and then headed home. There have been rarities this year but its been difficult to refind them. A bit frustrating for those of us doing big years. We did see and record other birds seen and Jerry took this very nice picture of a Night-Heron
Juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron
Sunday we continued our discussions about the Caracara up near Timmins. Our calendar is quite full and there is little opportunity to go. I wanted to have it be a trip to get other species we still need but I don’t think we have a window for another few weeks with Thanksgiving coming up and the bird may leave soon as the weather cools down. It will be a very last minute decision if we go and a quick trip up and back.
Week 40 1 species added 420 on ebird and 421 on my list E&J
Monday we took the ferry back to Nova Scotia and did a sea watch for about 5 of the 7 hours. It was a beautiful day but we did not see many birds for the first few hours.
Leaving Newfoundland
We took a break and ate half of the subs we had bought before boarding and then headed back out. There was a bit more activity since we were around the half-way point. Jerry got on a bird at the back of the boat and we both noted it was different from what we had been seeing – not a gannet, not a gull but bigger than puffin, longer wings grey upper, white below. Jerry managed a few shots and we knew we would have to look at it later. Both of us were thinking it could be the Northern Fulmar we were hoping for but we also didn’t want to get our hopes up. We birded until we were close to shore and then headed in to finish those subs. We had a 1.5 hour drive to our hotel and then we started the tedious task of looking at pictures. Jerry had one fairly good picture that looked like a Fulmar to us based on ebird pics but we sent it off to the Discord ID chat just to make sure – YES! Northern Fulmar it was – Lifer and bird #420!!!! What a great end to our trip to the Rock! All that water and that one bird we still needed found its way to the back of the ferry as we were standing there.
Northern Fulmar
Tuesday we were up early to head for our last province, PEI. We had booked the 10am ferry over so we did not need to rush but ended up arriving at 8:30 and the 8:00 ferry was still there just ready to leave. We drove right on and just like that gained 1.5 hours for our day in PEI.
Arriving in PEI
We decided to bird Victoria Park in Charlottetown since we had extra time. After a little rain shower it was very birdy and we enjoyed trying to get our bins on all the warblers flitting around the shrubs and trees. After so much sea watching it was a nice change to see colour and leaves.
Magnolia WarblerYellow-bellied SapsuckerRed VireoYellow-rumped WarblerBlack-throated Green WarblerWhite-throated Sparrow
Our next stop was for lunch. Way back before Covid we spent a week on PEI with our daughter and family and we had fresh seafood every day from Gallants in Stanley Bridge. They are not there anymore but instead have a restaurant in Charlottetown. We stopped in and had their absolutely fantastic all crabmeat crabcakes, seafood chowder and haddock caught that morning. It was super yummy and a perfect last seafood meal on this trip.
Gallant’s Crab Cakes
After lunch we headed to the north of PEI to track down a Gray Partridge. We saw this species out in Saskatchewan but didn’t manage a picture so we were hoping for better views and pictures. We checked out the first place they had been seen recently but no luck. We moved on to another place but just before we got there Jerry spotted something in a field and sure enough there were10 Gray Partridge feeding at the edge of a field. He took some nice pictures and I did a quick video before they rushed off.
Gray Partridge
We left PEI 5 hours after we arrived having seen 37 species of birds on 5 checklists and so we have now birded every province in Canada this year. While driving today the conversation started turning to “what we need to do” when we get home. It is inevitable that my mind moves from the task at hand as this trip ends and I start thinking of what lies ahead in Ontario. A Crested Caracara is still up north, we need some boreal species yet. That Black Vulture still needs to be seen. We have one more birding day tomorrow and then I can start the plans for the rest of the year.
Wednesday we headed into Quebec and drove through a “corridor of colour”. The fall colours were close to peak and I could not help but snap picture after picture of the trees along the road.
We added 5 more moose to our count but unfortunately they were all dead in the backs of trucks and open trailers. The hunting season is in full swing in New Brunswick too. At one point I had to drive behind a trailer with a quartered moose in the back for about 15 kms. We arrived in Trois-Pistoles so that we could take one last ferry back and forth across the St.Lawrence River for one more crack at some missing species. We still need Parasitic, Long-tailed Jaeger and Sabine’s Gull and this ferry seemed to be getting them on a regular basis. Unfortunately, when we showed up at the ferry dock it was in thick fog despite beautiful blue sky two blocks away. We discussed what we should do, went in and made our reservations thinking maybe things would clear up as there was still two hours before the sailing. We discussed things more. There was a Black-tailed Gull that has been seen over the last week just outside Quebec City and we knew that it was a bird usually seen at the end of the day on the river so we would not be able to get it unless we spent an extra day in Quebec. If we didn’t do the ferry we could go for the Gull. The 3 birds we hoped for on the ferry we can still possibly get at lake watches in Hamilton. We opted to cancel the ferry trip and move on to the Black-tailed Gull spot. We arrived there at 3 and set up our last stake-out of the trip.
We waited almost 3 hours and no gull. Sigh, it would have been a nice finish to the trip but the Northern Fulmar was also a nice ending to the trip. We headed to our last hotel of the trip and were asleep by 10 pm. We head home with 420 species with three more months of birding to increase that number. We missed seeing 6 species and we added 5 lifers on this trip. We drove 9,595 kms this trip and arrived home Thursday by 2:30 because we were awake at 5am and on the road by 5:30.
It was lovely to have a good cup of tea and enjoy the view from my window Friday morning. No birding. We visited Babi, did laundry, cleaning and caught up with friends and family. There is a Crested Caracara 8 hours away to consider chasing but not happening this weekend. We have kids and grandkids to see…
Week 39 1 species added #419 ebird #420 my list E&J
Trinity was lovely and picturesque, we loved grabbing a tea from the lodge and wandering the roads first thing in the morning before breakfast. We even did a bit of birding and had great views of Red Crossbills next to our Guesthouse.
Red CrossbillTrinity Eco LodgeMuseumWe stayed in the Gannet room in the Bird HouseThey were shorter back then…Newfoundland breakfast – fried bologna, eggs, fresh sourdoughTrinity
We drove up to Bonavista on Monday intent on doing some sea watching. We stopped at Elliston, the Puffin area, but all the puffins had left as we expected. We will have to visit during nesting season another time. We moved on to Cape Bonavista where the winds were coming in from offshore but it was foggy and rainy. We waited it out for a bit in the car and then got out with the scope for a bit but conditions were not great. We lasted only a short time and decided to move on to a hike along the Klondike Trail. We were cold enough that we pulled out our Canada Goose jackets for the first time this trip and were comfortable walking the windy shoreline. We happen to be here at peak blueberry season and so every hike involves picking wild blueberries for snacks along the way when it is allowed…
Elliston Puffin AreaKlondike TrailKlondike Trail
Our friends from NOTL arrived in Trinity and we spent Tuesday with them going on the Skerwink Trail, ranked one of the top 35 trails in North America. The trail is moderately difficult with stunning views. It started to rain for the last few kilometres and we ended up soaked but energized from having completed it. We ended the day having a delicious home-cooked meal courtesy of Julia and Nancy followed by a competitive game of Five Crowns. It has been nice to meet up with friends and family and spend time with them instead of it all being about birding. Jerry foraged some mushrooms, Chippewa Boletes apparently, and cooked them up for the guys to enjoy with their dinner. The wives watched and waited…but they all survived. LOL
Wednesday we headed to St. Johns but took the long route by driving down to Cape Race and covered many kilometres of road looking for a Willow Ptarmigan. The Willow will be the third and final Ptarmigan found in Canada. I didn’t go for it in the winter because we were involved with Babi stuff and our Quebec trip did not happen. I was pretty confident that we would see Willow in Newfoundland as there are many reports from the Cape Race area. Of course, once you start driving and seeing the vastness of the potential area you realize the huge task ahead. The White-tailed Ptarmigan took 5 hours at the summit of Whistlers and the Rock was found easy but required the 17km hike over 9 hours. We spent 4-5 hours driving the roads very slowly, stopping to scan and scan and nothing.
Where oh where is a Willow Ptarmigan?
We consoled ourselves by having the “best” Cod and chips we have had on the Island at Chafe’s Landing Restaurant in Petty Harbour just outside St. John’s. The fish was thick and sweet with a tasty light batter. Yum!
Thankfully, Alvan came through with some information of a Willow Ptarmigan family that seemed to be hanging around the St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve, specifically Bird Rock so we made plans to go there Thursday. We arrived at the Reserve at 8:30 and spoke with Chris at the Interpretive Center, watched a short documentary about the Northern Gannets that nest there and then headed out. Our focus was the Willow Ptarmigan but there were 9,000 Northern Gannets still on the nesting grounds! It was a Birding Spectacle! Which is the next thing I want to concentrate on after this Canada Year. We walked the trail looking for the Willow but saw nothing. Once we got to “Bird Rock” as it is known, we had to spend some time with the Gannets. I won’t add too many pictures because I will do a separate blog in January of this incredible “spectacle”.
We walked the trail back still scanning and got some snacks and my scope and headed back again along the trail. Scoped and scoped and still no Willow. We visited the Gannets again while we were out there and then sadly headed back to the car. By this time it was noon and I decided that we should give up. I knew I could most likely get one in December in Quebec and we had other things we wanted to see. The forecast was for heavy rain on Friday so we were trying to see as much as we could before that. I hate to give up but Chris had told us the birds had not been seen that morning, when they usually were seen. We got in the car, drove out of the parking lot and I looked along the side of the road and there were the Ptarmigans out on a rock quite a distance from the road but only 200 feet from the parking! Jerry thought I was talking about some American Golden Plovers which also happened to be close to the road at the same spot and was not understanding me when I said “pull over, its our bird”. When we both got out of the car he could then see the distant birds. We got the scope out and confirmed what we already knew – our Willow Ptarmigan!!! I went back to the Center to let Chris know I had seen them and to ask permission to walk in a bit to get better pics. Apparently, a couple from Quebec had just come in to tell him about the birds and while figuring it out with google translate I came back to say we had found them. Total of about 10 hrs over two days to find the third Ptarmigan species.
Willow Ptarmigan
Birding is all about timing!! We now have seen the TRIFECTA of Ptarmigans in Canada!!
After the high of finding the Ptarmigan we headed to a few places around St. Johns first to try for Leach’s Storm Petrel at Kelligrews Pond and Outflow. We found a beautiful Black-headed Gull with the red feet and bill so that was really nice to see. We had some nice close views of shorebirds but nothing out in the water. It is only seabirds left on our list to see here but rarities can be on the shore too.
Black-headed GullDunlinGreater YellowlegsSanderlingGreater Yellowlegs with dinner!Semipalmated Plover
We then headed to Burton’s Pond, 5 minutes from our hotel where a Pink-footed Goose has been spending its time for the last year. We got our Lifer Goose back in April in pouring rain with dismal looks through a scope to the back of a field. We had to stop by and see up close and personal what a Pink-footed Goose actually looks like and take some pics and video of course.
Next we headed to our hotel, the Holiday Inn, and the pond right behind the hotel has been hosting 2 Tufted Ducks so we stopped in and Jerry got some pics of the ducks as they dove around for food. We saw a Tufted Duck in Toronto waaaay back on January 5.
Tufted Duck
Friday the forecast was for rain most of the day but we headed to Cape Spear for a sea watch in the morning. It was clear in town but Cape Spear was in the fog. We could still see the coast line so we got out and found a spot near the point with less wind and as we stood there the fog moved out a way making it easier to see birds flying past. Just like lake watches, sea watches are usually about hours of watching and seconds of excitement. I found a Puffin on the water fairly close in with the orange on its bill still prominent.
Cape Spear – Eastern most point in CanadaSea Watch in the fogAtlantic Puffin in the fog
Shortly after as I was scoping across the water I saw 4 all dark small birds and knew it was the Leach’s Storm-petrels we were hoping for. I tried giving Jerry directions. Just above the water, 4 dark birds, long wings, smaller, moving right, a gull just flew left past them. It is not easy to help someone to find a bird when there is just water as a reference. He didn’t manage to get on them before they disappeared into the fog. We hoped others would show up. That was a lifer and while not a satisfying look, I will happily take it at this point. You will have to google Leach’s Storm-petrel to see what they look like. Northern Gannets flew past, Great Black-backed Gulls, some momentary excitement over a Common Murre and then finally Jerry got on 2 smaller dark birds with the distinct flight of Storm-petrels and he could add them too. Shortly after the fog started to come back in making it very difficult to see much, we waited a bit, but decided to pack it in.
We did a bit of sightseeing around St. Johns, touring the downtown, going up to Signal Hill, Quidi Vidi and then back over to Kelligrews Pond for a bit before the rain started.
St John’s from Signal HillQuidi VidiDowntown St. John’s
Back in Victoria I took the picture of Mile 0 of the Trans Canada Highway, nice right? And I intended to do the same in Newfoundland.
I looked it up on the map and google directed me to the end or start of the Trans Canada. This is what the start of the Trans Canada in Newfoundland looks like:
No sign, no gardens, no fanfare
I did some research and found out that the highway used to end or start in downtown St. Johns and was then diverted outside the city. The Trans Canada is known as the road with two beginnings and no end as both “ends” are known as mile 0. What? Apparently no one wanted to be the “end” of the road. There is still a historical zero marker near the hockey centre, so Google told me. Friday we had dinner at the Gingergrass Thai and Vietnamese Restaurant. Sidenote: the food was delicious and I forgot to take pictures. After we walked downtown to find the Mile Marker. We had to ask a local parking lot attendant and finally found this:
The marker with no mention of the TCHKilometer 0?Victoria
Not really what I was looking for and the distance on the TCH between St. John’s and Victoria is about 7,821 kms soooo this will have to suffice to say that we have travelled from one end of Canada to the other, sometimes on the TCH and I have stood at both ends of Canada this year. When we got back to the hotel we made the bookings for ferries and hotels for the drive home.
Saturday was our last day in St. John’s and we headed down to St. Michaels on the very off-chance that a Northern Fulmar was late leaving a nesting area on an island offshore. It was a lovely drive and we met a lovely local man who let us into his back yard to scope over to the island but all the Fulmars had departed. We then toured back north and stopped in Witless Bay where another offshore bird colony houses Leach’s Storm-petrels. We hiked a trail along the coast and scoped over to the island but sun and distance made it difficult. I saw some Leach’s along the cliff but Jerry could not get any pictures at that distance. We stopped for another rarity, Glossy ibis, that we already have on our list but thought Jerry might get better pictures.
Glossy Ibis
We then headed up to Cape Spear to see it in the sun and walked around the area and scoped a bit but nothing interesting turned up. What a difference between the foggy day and the sunny day.
Cape Spear in the fog and sun
We headed back into St.John’s for an early Mexican meal at Casa Amigos and toasted to the ending of our East Trip with a delicious margarita. We are both ready to go home, life on the road gets tiring.
Sunday we drove the 9 hours from St. John’s back to Port aux Basques so we can take the ferry on Monday. The drive was lovely, with blue sky, little traffic and the tunes cranked in the car as we both kept an eye out for a moose. Despite there being a large population of moose we have not seen one. There are around 150,000 moose on the island and there are around 27,000 licenses given out each year to hunt. The hunt started last weekend so perhaps that is why we have not seen any. We did see one truck with the haul from what we assumed was a successful hunt. Most of the local families we spoke to depend on the moose hunt to feed their families.
Tomorrow is the 7 hour ferry back to the mainland and we hope we might see a pelagic species we need on the ferry across. There is still potential for more birds on the way home.
Week 38 2 new species added ebird #418, my list #419 E&J
Monday we started our day going through photos that we were still trying to ID and I sent one to the Discord group to confirm a Jaeger species we had seen on the whale watch. The response was quick and affirmative for Pomarine Jaeger so we added another bird without getting out of bed!
Pomarine Jaeger
We had another delicious breakfast at the East Wind Guesthouse and then did a final check for the Oystercatchers but they were still missing in action.
We changed our original plans to head to Halifax and Truro and instead drove to Antigonish Landing to see if we could find a Little Blue Heron that had been reported over the last week. We arrived around 1 and started down the path looking at some warblers bathing in a puddle and the Heron flew in behind. We had great looks and took many pictures and video of the Little Blue Heron catching fish. Because this is a juvenile Heron it is not blue but white instead. I’ve included a picture of what the adults look like – a spectacular shade of purple/blue.
Little Blue HeronLittle Blue Heron Adult (previous picture from US)
With nothing pressing to chase or rush to we took the time to walk the Antigonish Wildlife Area and enjoyed just looking for and recording the birds along the trail. We then headed to Sydney and made some calls to move up our ferry to Newfoundland to Tuesday from Wednesday and changed some hotel dates too.
The ferry ride from Sydney to Port-Aux-Basques was 7 hours and we spent about 5 of them scanning the Gulf of St.Lawrence for possible pelagic birds. It was a bit windy but pretty comfortable when the sun was out but by the end of the trip I was chilled from standing so long.
Ferry to NewfoundlandScanning and scanning
We saw lots of Gannets and a few Shearwaters but nothing new for our list. We thought we saw a Storm-petrel and in the moment were pretty sure but Jerry did not manage a picture and after discussing it we did not add it as we would not be able to identify it to species anyway. While we were on the ferry reports came in from the area we just left in Nova Scotia of a Gull-billed Tern! Uggh! that would have been another great bird to add to our list! Perhaps it will still be there on our way back through. We stayed right at Port-aux-basques the first night so we could drive the lower coast road and check a possible spot for Rock Ptarmigan the next day.
Wednesday we headed out at 7:30 and were hiking by 8 to the Barachois Falls. it was a very short hike but pretty and we took the time to scan along the grasses and tops of the surrounding hills for possible Ptarmigan.
Barachois Falls
We then headed back to Port-aux-basques and on to Gros Morne with a stop along the way in Stephenville to see if a Black-headed Gull might be hanging around. We pulled up to the ebird spot and got the scope on some gulls milling around on the water and I had two smaller gulls that looked like they could be Black-headed Gulls. Another birder was parked further up so I wandered up and confirmed with her that they were indeed the ones we wanted. Jerry took some pictures and we scoped the other birds around and then continued to Gros Morne.
Black-headed Gull
We stayed at the Gros Morne Tiny Chalets and were very pleased with the accommodations. You might have noticed a trend in my choice of havens – I love minimalism and tiny homes are the epitome of the movement. How cute is that?
Gros Morne Tiny Chalets
My original plan was to hike the Summit trail of Gros Morne for Rock Ptarmigan on my 67th birthday but the weather forecast was rain all day so we moved it up a day and went on Thursday. Friends from Niagara-on-the-lake were planning on doing the hike that day as well. The hike is difficult and long – 17km with the summit at 806 meters.
Gros Morne
Jerry and I started at 7:13 and cruised along the first 4 kms because they are pretty easy, a wide trail, some rocks and with an elevation of 300m.
You then come to the “decision point”.
Then the climb is a scramble up large and small rocks, using your hands to negotiate the bigger, steeper areas. The top you see from below is a false summit with the real summit, hidden behind and to the left up the rock scramble.
We arrived at the summit at 11:15 – 4 hours from our start. It was tough but really not too bad. We both felt pretty good still!
The summit area is more of the broken rock but when you start to walk across the top you come to the alpine tundra where the Ptarmigan live and we started scanning.
Having spent those many hours at the top of Whistler’s in BC looking for the White-tailed Ptarmigan I was not overly optimistic that we would be able to find one quickly. But a few minutes later I saw one up on a rock a distance away. i can’t tell you how excited I was! We moved quickly to get closer and then found 4 working their way towards us and eating as they went. We had to make sure they were Rock and not Willow Ptarmigan as both can be found there. These were indeed Rock Ptarmigan!
Rock Ptarmigan
We spent the next couple of hours watching them as they moved around feeding, we had some lunch, we showed the birds to to other hikers as they went past, we took many pictures and video. This might be the only chance we have to see this bird unless we travel to Alaska or the Yukon so I wanted to enjoy “the moment”.
Eventually, our friends arrived having started later than we did and we started the trail back down after enjoying views of the top. The weather was perfect with just a bit of a breeze. Usually it is much windier and cold at the summit but it was a perfect temperature. The views were spectacular and pictures do not do them justice.
The climb down was another 6km of narrow trails filled with rocks and tree roots, mixed with some stairs, and then rock scrambles that seemed to never end. It was a tough slog. Your legs are sore, your feet are sore, the joints start aching, it is hot, your water is getting low. You think you MUST be close to the end but then you see the trail ahead where you need to end up and realize you are still not close. It is the WORST part of the hike. All you can do it keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Thankfully with a group of 6 of us there was opportunity to talk, and switch walking companions to make the hike bearable. If it had been Jerry and I on our own I am sure there would have been some sniping back and forth. When we finally reached the intersection with the original trail we still had the 4km back to the parking lot with a further descent of 300m. I have never been happier to see a picnic table! I was for sure at my physical limit by the time I got back. Some beverages were enjoyed at the end but Jerry and I totally forgot about getting a pic of both of us. LOL.
Screenshot
The rain did come on Friday and we woke up with sore legs and some bruises but actually better than I had thought. I went into town and did some laundry and then we headed to a small hamlet 1.5 hours away to see if any seabirds might be heading into the bay with the north winds. Alvan, a birder contact on the island had suggested it to us. We did not get anything new but saw a lot of birds through the afternoon. My bday dinner was “The Fisherman’s Platter” of course with a side of red wine.
Saturday we left Gros Morne and headed to Twillingate for our “tourist” part of the trip. We stopped at Dildo Provincial Park for a welcome walk in the woods! Jerry got his best year pics of Boreal Chickadee and Gray Jay.
Dildo Run Provincial ParkFinally a walk in the woods!Boreal ChickadeeGray JayBoreal Chickadee
We have a hard time being tourists but I did want to see Twillingate and I rented us a room in the Toulinguet Inn right over the water to enjoy the perfect ambiance of Newfoundland. So pretty!
Sunday we headed towards the Trinity Eco Lodge but I was in contact with Robert Burgess about seeing the Steller’s Sea Eagle and we decided to do the detour and try for it at 4 in the afternoon. It would mean a 2 hour drive PAST where we needed to go but both of us were anxious about it leaving before we got a chance to see it and the next available time might have been Thursday. As it happened I checked messages as we sat down to a meal in Whiteway and Alvan was in the area and had found a Curlew Sandpiper on a secluded beach in the same area as the Sea Eagle. It required a fair bit of bushwacking and a hike in, neither that we had time for. We ate quickly and then headed to another beach area as the birds had flown and met up with Alvan. We had been conversing about birding for a few months but had never met so it was nice to have a face to face. The birds were not at the beach area so likely had returned to the unaccessible beach. We turned our attention back to the Sea Eagle.
Whiteway
We met up with Robert Burgess who has been taking birders and photographers out since late July to see the Steller’s Sea Eagle. His family settled the area in 1862 and he owns a heritage property and does walking tours of the property and area. We headed out at 4 in his small boat and at 4:08 we were looking at the STELLER”S SEA EAGLE!! The Steller’s is from Russia or north Japan and has been in North America since 2022 first spending time in Nova Scotia and Maine before making Newfoundland its home for the last two summers. It is a HUGE bird with a giant yellow beak and large feet and claws. It was a wonderful experience to be all alone in a boat with just 3 of us and the Eagle meters away. A fantastic experience! Kudos to Robert and so thankful for his expertise and knowledge of the bird’s behavior.
It was a stunning finish to the week. We had a 2.5 hour drive back to our guesthouse in Trinity but the gamble to go for the Eagle early paid off and we were more than happy to not have to worry about it leaving before we got there. We are now at #417 with the Western Warbling Vireo split and still have some birds to track down here and at home. Next on the agenda is the Willow Ptarmigan that will give us the trifecta of Ptarmigans in Canada. But first, we have a couple of days with friends in Trinity before we move to St. Johns for the final push in Newfoundland.
