June 25, 2014. Wednesday. Witless Bay to St. John's to Witless Bay (La Manche Provincial Park)

We had so much fun yesterday that we visited Gull Island again, but this time a morning trip with Gatherall's Puffins and Whale Watch Tours. The whales cooperated magnificently with three humpbacks swimming within 20 yards of Gull Island, parallel to the shore, for 15 minutes. The three whales were grand, but spending the entire trip within a few yards of the island was fantastic. Even more than yesterday, the land, sky, and water was full of birds, literally tens of thousands of birds all at the same time.

Afterward, we drove north and spent the rest of the day in St. John's. It was much like any other big city, but we enjoyed the history and sights at Signal Hill in gale-force winds, we birded a world-famous birding site (Quidi Vidi Lake), and visited the Fulvarium (underwater freshwater fish viewing in a local creek) at the end of the day -- just in time for the evening fish feeding. Watching the keeper hand-feed a 3-ft eel was awesome.

By then, the forecast rain hit and we drove south to La Manche Provincial Park again, but this time camping in the rain. While taking showers and doing laundry, we heard two or three Boreal Owls calling in the trees so close that we could even hear their chatter calls, but we never saw a one.

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
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