Newfoundland - Avalon Peninsula

 This is my third trip to Newfoundland and this time I'm focusing on only three places - Cape St. Mary's for the gannets, Elliston for the puffins and Fogo Island.   

Cape St. Mary's is at the southwestern tip of the Avalon peninsula, about 2 hours' drive from St. John's, but we made a detour to Bay Bulls on the east coast after arriving in St. John's early afternoon.  It was late June and the days were long so we were able to fit in a boat tour with Gatherall's in search of whales and puffins.  Bay Bulls is right next to the important Witless Bay Ecological Reserve.  There were quite a few whale sightings but nothing spectacular and except for a few in the water, the puffins were too far away for any meaningful shots.  It was cold on the boat but glad it was the only time I had to wear my packable down on the whole trip.

Humpback whales

Humpback with cub

Puffin flying over water

Plenty of Common Murres around

The colourful Gatherall's office

The one shot I got of Bay Bulls from the boat

 

We headed to St. Bride's with its one and only lodging, Capeway Inn which turned out to be a very nice well-equipped boutique establishment. Cape St. Mary's is only a 20 minute drive from St. Bride's and Bird Island, where the gannets are, was just a short 1.4 km hike from the parking lot.  We were lucky the island was not covered in fog as it was the last time I was there.  We spent a whole morning and part of the afternoon watching the gannets going about their business.  It was quite productive as you can see from the photos.  

Word of caution: bring some ready made food to St. Bride's.  We arrived too late for dinner as the one and only restaurant closed at 7 (we were lucky we had anticipated that and bought a roast chicken with us).  The following day we arrived at the restaurant at 5:30 and was told it closes at 5pm on Tuesdays.  The one convenience store was not open.  Good thing it was a big chicken!

The Cape St. Mary's headland with Bird Island (covered in white)

Closeup of Bird Island

Affectionate gannet couples

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Bickering ones too...

Bringing back nesting material

Other than these two stops and drive through impressions of small towns on the way, we didn't see much else on the Avalon Peninsula so can't really say I am providing a good picture of the Peninsula.  I am sure there are lots more to it than gannets and whales!

The following day we drove up the peninsula to Bona Vista in the rain - no problem for a travelling day. There were a few lookouts along the way - one that stood out was Seven Islands lookout off the Cape Shore Highway. Otherwise the four hour drive to Elliston was mostly flat.

Antarctica - Neko Harbour, Errera Channel and Orne Harbour

 A bright beautiful day when we arrived at Neko Harbour, an inlet on the west coast of Graham Land.  I was up on deck before breakfast to find myself surrounded by stunning landscape.  After breakfast, we set out on the zodiac.  The landing area was rocky with a steep climb to the areas with penguins.  The snow was thick and full of guano - I decided not to risk a fall and opted for a zodiac cruise in the bay instead.  

The zodiac cruise turned out to be one of the most enjoyable cruises I've experienced on the trip.  It was a windless day as we cruised in the tranquil waters of the bay, seeing seals, multiple whales and penguins swimming in the water as the driver, one of the wildlife specialists, pointed them out to us.  At one point he turned off the engine so we can soak in the ambiance around us in peace and quiet - a memorable experience on this trip.

One of the most exciting moments on the trip  (a nice surprise I wasn't expecting) was the cruise through the Errera Channel shortly after lunch on our way to Orne Harbour.  The Errera Channel, at the southern end of the Gerlache Strait, is considered one of the most beautiful areas of the Antarctic Peninsula.  It is apparently longer and more complex than its more well-known cousin the Lemaire.  The spectacular crossing almost made up for seeing the Lemaire only in fog.  

We went on another zodiac cruise after lunch at Orne Harbour.  Sea was rougher this time but we got to get a close look at some of the spectacular rock faces in the area.

Before breakfast at Neko Harbour

View from Neko Harbour

You can see the trail up to the top of the ridge on the far right.  Doesn't look that high from afar but it is quite intimidating from below.  

The kayakers were happy to finally make it - no strong winds today

Crabeater seal

Humpback Whale

Gentoo Penguins swimming

Soaking in the tranquil Antarctic landscape

At one point there was an avalanche.  Below is closeup of the crevasses on the glacier.

The Errera Channel, very similar landscape to the Lemaire

Love this stunning rockface!  

A yacht that sailed all the way to Antarctica

Catching the last light