NEWFOUNDLAND June 2025, PART 2, BONAVISTA

What is a kittiwake? A kittiwake is a specific type of gull with cliff-nesting behavior and a specialized oceanic diet. In contrast, the term "seagull" is a broad term for the entire family of gulls, which includes many different species, some of which are adapted to scavenging and human environments, unlike the strictly marine-focused kittiwake. The black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) has (unsurprisingly) black legs and feet, and a generally smaller bill than other gulls. It also has a preference for nesting on steep cliffs.

The Matthew was a Caravel (a type of sailing ship) built in 1497 that John Cabot (whose real name was Giovanni Caboto, an Italian explorer) sailed with only 18 men intending to go west to Asia. However, he hit land in 1497 in either Bonavista or St. Johns. The big building with the red roof and blue front houses a replica of this ship that was created for the 500th anniversary of his journey. It was built locally and is open to the public within the interpretation center allowing people to get a feeling of what the conditions were like on the ship during the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. There is a second replica of the Matthew that has its home in Bristol, England, where Caboto sailed from on this journey.

Dungeon Provincial Park is a really beautiful park at the very tip of the Bonavista Peninsula. While being beautiful for many reasons, one of the more famous aspects of the park is the massive, heart-shaped crater with two separate openings to the sea. It is also a UNESCO Geosite due to the unique geological formations and natural archways.

PUFFINS!

The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) is the only puffin native to the Atlantic ocean, and is the official bird of the Newfoundland and Labrador province. There is a large amount of information about these birds online, so we won't repeat all of that here. However, we will give you just 12 puffin facts that you may not have known... (1) These pelagic seabirds only come to the shore to mate and breed. After mating season they return to the sea, where they are generally solitary (although they may forage in small groups). They spend September through March on the surface of the ocean - floating, diving, and catching fish (2) They dig the burrows in which they nest (using beaks and feet), or they may take a rabbit burrow. The burrows are up to 3 feet deep and usually have a slight bend to give extra protection to the egg and chick. (3) They only lay a single egg (4) They are monogamous (5) You would not recognize them when not in breeding plumage. They lose their colorful appearance: their beaks become much smaller and black. Their faces become grey and their feet become a dull yellow color. (6) Puffins can use their wings to fly in the air and also to swim underwater. By using their wings for underwater propulsion, they can dive up to 200 feet (60M) to hunt for fish . (7) The male and female puffins share all of the tasks related to nesting and raising the chick, but the male spends more time guarding and maintaining the nest. The female spends more time incubation the egg and feeding the chick. (8) Puffin chicks are born with their eyes open. (9) Puffins fledge at night when there is less risk from predators. Their parents never help them once they leave the nest. (10) Puffins can drink seawater. They have a special adaptation to be able to drink seawater and to expel the extra salt through glands above their eyes. (11) They are incredibly fast fliers. Their wings beat 400 beats per minute allowing them to fly up to 55 miles (88KM) per hour. (12) Puffins are usually about 10 inches tall and can live for 20 years in the wild. Some have been known to live to over 40 years.

Did you know that Elliston is the root cellar capital of the world? Root cellars are cellars built into the ground for the purpose of food storage. These types of structures pre-date electricity and refrigeration, and there are over 130 documented root cellars in Elliston. Many of these cellars are still in use.

Trinity is a historic town and a registered heritage community located on the Bonavista Peninsula

We also did a bit of exploring between trips to the puffin site. We drove up to Keels in the hopes of seeing the Tickle sea arch, but the road became so rocky we decided to abandon that objective and went back to Elliston and the lure of puffin photography. On the way we made a stop at the tern rookery and spent some time there before heading to the puffin site. Sadly most of the puffins were out to sea.

Tern, tern, tern

The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a graceful and acrobatic seabird that feeds by plunge diving for fish (although in some locations they may also consume molluscs and other invertebrate prey). The Common Tern is the most widespread tern in North America, spending its winters as far south as Argentina and Chile. They are social birds, foraging in groups and generally nesting in colonies. They will nest on any flat, poorly vegetated surface close to water and they readily adapt to artificial substrates (such as floating rafts). They lay up to three eggs. Unlike some of the more pelagic species of terns, the common terns are coastal (and sometimes inland) birds that forage in saltwater and freshwater. Although they can be found offshore during migration. During breeding season, these birds have a full black cap, orange legs and an orange bill tipped with black. During the rest of the year, their coloring is less eye-catching - as usual. The front portion of the cap becomes white and the bill and legs become black.