Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Saturday 19 November 2016

Of whales and other creatures

I can't believe it's 3 months since our adventure in Newfoundland, so it's been interesting to look back through my photos and select a few for this blog post - the one I promised about the wildlife we saw on our road trip.

We were warned about Moose. Apparently many folk are injured and tragically some die in road accidents caused by Moose straying onto roads in Newfoundland. We saw huge road signs recording the year's fatal collisions. But we saw no sign of the giant gangly beasts. However while staying at Trinity we were looking forward to walking the Skerwink Trail and were warned that a family of Moose were on the headland. After the first bend in the path we spotted the youngster ... reading a house sign!

We slowly and calmly walked past as he munched on the vegetation. There was no sign of his parents ... although we knew they couldn't be far away - this made our return at dusk slightly un-nerving!

Beavers are one of my favourite animals, I find it amazing how a relatively small animal can fell trees and made such massive constructions. This lodge is on a lake near Rocky Harbour.
One evening just outside St Anthony we stopped by a lake where we thought we had spotted a beaver swimming back and forth carrying small branches. Then a much larger beast appeared - compared to the 'beaver' it was massive! The penny dropped, we had been watching a Muskrat. I didn't take shots as the light was failing, mosquitoes were eating me alive and it started raining.

This little squirrel was easy to photograph, he just sat nibbling a berry by the Skerwink Trail path.

And this Jack Rabbit - or Arctic Hare (wearing his summer coat) was even more laid back, he was just hopping around outside our cabin at Gambo.

Of course it's the giant beasts of the sea that Newfoundland is famed for. At St Anthony we went on the obligatory Whale Watching trip, this also included a close encounter with a massive ice-berg! We did see whales, and some were quite close to the boat. I think that these are Humpbacks.

And this is a Fin Whale, which was my favourite - they are HUGE, the 2nd largest mammal - over 20 metres long (70+ feet).

On a Whale Watching boat you expect to see Whales and Dolphins, but what surprised me was the fact that pretty much anywhere along the coast of Newfoundland you can just sit on a high headland and see Whales - it's just fantastic! This rocky cliff top at Bonavista was one of the best locations ...

... and because you are high above the water you get a great view of the whales - you hear them too, as they breathe out - a deep swooshing sigh and the white spray of water - apparently you can learn to tell the Whale species by the 'blow'.

Humpback Whales have long pectoral fins, like wings or arms, these are white on the underside so as the Whale swims the fins shine a pale turquoise colour under the water. Looking out to sea and watching for the 'blow' and then waiting to see if you'd see a fin or a tail or even a breach when a Humpback leaps right out of the water, is sheer magic. 

Of course there were lots of sea birds ... here are two Yellow Legs on a rock at Rocky Harbour.

Black Guillemots on a precarious ledge at Bonavista

and hundreds of Kittiwakes on a rocky islet off the coast near Trinity.

The bird I most wanted to see was the Puffin. I've never been lucky to see one in the UK and in Newfoundland there are a few spots that are easily accessible and near huge Puffin colonies - they like grassy cliff tops where they can live in burrows.

There were thousands of Puffins! Swarms of them filling the sky around the rocky islands off-shore, hundreds bobbing along in the waves below.

And Puffins are surprisingly small, a bit bigger than a Blackbird but not much, look how that Gull is massive in comparison. That Gull is after the Puffin eggs and young chicks! Luckily the young Puffins were mostly full grown and able to fly.



On the day we were there, a professional wildlife photographer had set up a toy Puffin decoy on the rocks to tempt a brave Puffin to land close to her cameras. When the tourist and bird-watchers aren't about, apparently the little Puffins land on the main cliff top as well as the off-shore rocky islands ... one brave little chap was curious and landed not far from where we were sitting, so we got close up view.


On a cold winter evening it's lovely to remember how beautiful Newfoundland was in summer. Where do the Puffins go in winter?


Celia
xx


18 comments:

  1. I was already enchanted by your moose and guillemottes, but when I read on to the puffins, my heart melted. I've always wanted to see one!

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    1. Puffins are enchanting, you'll have to take a trip to Newfoundland in the summer.

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  2. I loved this post, Celia. I saw puffins in Angelsey, but from a distance and hadn;t a good lens.

    And you've got beavers back in England now, I hear!

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    1. Yes, trial reintroduction of the Eurasion Beaver in Devon, Kent and Scotland. They are a different species to the Beavers in N America but similar in lots of ways. Not sure how successful they will be.

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  3. Every line I read made me want to return to Canada again. I love how you are 'extending' your holiday by revisiting it this way. I'd love to see Black Guillemots with those stunning red legs. We have large seabird colonies down here in summer so head west to Pembrokeshire next year Celia and get out to Skomer Island. You will find puffins tripping over your feet as they scuttle across your path!

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    1. I'll put Skomer on my 'to-visit' list, I've never visited Pembrokeshire.

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  4. What a great range of wildlife you saw. I'd love to see whales and pufffins, they are on my 'must get to see' list. So lovely to look back on summer things once its cold and dark like today.

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    1. Yes it's been quite a tonic to look back through the photos.

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  5. Dear Celia, I'm so glad that you posted these pictures and descriptions of your Newfoundland trip. All the natural beauty of that area and its inhabitants have been so refreshing to see. A welcome reminder that there is plenty of balance to darker thoughts. xo

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    1. Nature is good to keep one balanced - and why it's important that we protect and value it.

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  6. What a fabulous range of wildlife you saw and lovely to be reminded of your holiday.

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    1. On a dark cold day it's lovely to remember the sun and sea.

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  7. Puffins go to sea in winter, they only come ashore to breed and raise their chicks. They are only decked out in their bright colours at this time too, then they lose their beaks and the legs turn back to black.

    Some lovely images in this post Celia, I like the way you have spread your holiday out over the year.

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    1. Thank you! I didn't realise that Puffins spent the winter out on the Ocean - what tough little creatures they are.

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  8. What a fabulous trip Celia! All that amazing wildlife - maybe one day I will get there. In the meantime, I will content myself with whale watching in Ireland - not the same quantities as in Newfoundland but certainly the same buzz when they are observed - both from land and sea...you and the bearded one will have to come and join me on a weekend in West Cork!

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    1. Thanks C - I've not visited Ireland so will give this some thought xx
      You'd have fab time if you visit Newfoundland - just your kind of subjects.

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  9. Another lovely blog post. You're certainly making me want to visit Newfoundland! Glad someone else has already told where puffins go in Winter. Another wonderful place to see them is the Farne Islands. A beautiful place with amazing sights& sounds where you can get up close to puffins but go before the terns start breeding & divebombing you :-)

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  10. Sounds like an amazing adventure, especially whale spotting. I resisted the temptation to say "There's a moose loose about this house"!

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