Week 37 A Spectacular Week! Ptarmigan and Sea Eagle!!!!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Week 37 4 birds added 416 ebird 417 with split J&E