LOTS MORE SEABIRDS.
Day 86 – We slept in this morning. Being retired sure can wear you out. Grin. It was warmer this morning, breezy, and a bit humid. This afternoon we’ll be going back out to see the seabirds and the whales, hopefully in weather without fog. You can’t tell in advance; fog comes and goes without warning here.
We spent the morning at the RV. It was looking like a beautiful day. We had booked the 2 p.m. boat tour with O’Brien’s. The boat tour ended up being busier than we expected, yet it wasn’t overcrowded.
There was a bit of wind, so there were plenty of rolling waves. Anyone who gets seasick would not have enjoyed it today. First, like last time, we headed out to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve to get close to the Seabirds. There were even more birds than we saw before. It’s quite an experience!
After leaving the birds, we headed out to look for Whales. We passed a small island; the sky was filled with Seabirds flying in a circle over the island. The boat stopped and we all watched for several minutes as Captain O’Brien explained that the circling behavior was a way for the nesting Seabirds to protect their eggs and their young from predators. Sea Gulls and Bald Eagles prey on the eggs and hatchlings.
We all continued looking for Whales. Eventually Rob saw a Whale and called the sighting out. Everyone rushed to the side of the boat. It was a Minke Whale and it was just diving. That was the last we saw of it. Minke Whales can stay down 25 minutes. We waited and waited. Then everyone saw a Sunfish, a different-looking large fish that can get to 25 feet in length (but this one wasn’t that big). They swim along the surface of the water. And we also saw Porpoises swimming by. But no other whale sightings. We are lucky to have seen so many whales just a few days ago on our other boat tour!
Towards the end of the trip, they held a Screeching-In ceremony for several people who wanted to become “Honorary Newfoundlanders”. (Many pubs and restaurants and gatherings do this and a real Screech-In is a more difficult process than the more tepid ceremony today. It allows the people being Screeched-In to look like real idiots. LOL. Because they have to kiss a Cod fish and drink this horrible, nasty moonshine Rum. This Rum is called Screech – that’s how bad it tastes when you use the real stuff – it makes you screech in pain. Sound like fun?) At this Screech-In, those who wanted to participate (and pay extra for the privilege), were given Sou’wester Hats and Jackets, and a certificate of participation. The small group included several in a family including a couple of children (who were given a red kool-aid-type drink), plus parents and grandparents that got a little regular Rum in a plastic cup. In front of everyone on the boat, they had to dress like Newfoundlanders, they had to speak like Newfoundlanders, and they had to drink like Newfoundlanders, followed by kissing the stuffed toy Puffin. Round of applause and they got their certificates.
The scenery, like before, was very pretty. And we could certainly see farther without the fog. The Irish music was also enjoyable. Because we spent so much time looking for whales, we arrived several minutes late back at the dock. The crowd for the next tour was lined up, ready to go.
It was a fun day. We got back to the RV, relaxed and had dinner. The campground had become noisy and crowded. The weekend is here. Tomorrow we have a relatively short drive to our next campground, where we’ll be for 3 nights. We’ve never been to this campground – a golf resort with an additional area for people who want to camp. We chose it because it’s not too far from St. Vincent’s where the Humpback Whales come to play close to shore.
For more detailed information about La Manche Provincial Park, near Burnt Cove, NL, click here.