Witless Bay

Today's big activity was a boat tour to Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. I was booked on the Monday afternoon trip, but with the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto predicted to move in here about then, I asked & was given an open slot on today's boat. Though featuring a number of views & bird species, puffins are the main draw here. 

Our boat wasn't the only boat on the bay; the yellow boat is involved in the oil & gas industry, which has helped keep the economy chugging here since the demise of the cod fishery. 

First up was Bay Bulls Lighthouse. 

   

Next up was the main event: the bird sanctuary. No humans are allowed on these islands except for a handful of researchers. 

The puffins burrow into these grassy hillsides (below), & a breeding pair will return to the same burrow every year. They raise just 1 chick each summer. When the chick is about 6 weeks old, the parents literally push the little guy out of the nest into the ocean. 

The adults can just barely fly as their short wings are best adapted for diving for food in the water. They nest on hillsides because they cannot take off of a flat solid surface. They take off of the hillside in a controlled fall, & their webbed feet help get them going off of the water. 

The sun above us reflect off of the water under these angry looking clouds. 

The Baboul Rocks area is full of sea stacks, sea caves, & cool red rocks. 

Back on dry land, a couple of mermaids greeted us.