Bonavista Peninsula
July 2013
With Terra Nova National Park as our base camp, we had only one full day to explore the Bonavista Peninsula. Needless to say, we got up early and headed out on the highway.
One of our destinations was the town of Elliston to see if we could find some Atlantic Puffins. Puffins are ridiculous! We hung out with them for a few hours. This time of year, the Puffins are arriving to the nesting area after spending the Fall, Winter & Spring alone on the ocean. The males arrive at the colony first where they stake their ground. Since Puffins normally mate for life, they have to find their mate in all the confusion. Watching the Puffins interact was a real special treat.
The Cape Bonavista Lighthouse is located on a picturesque cliff overlooking rocky outcrops and islands. The top of the cliff is decorated with Blue Flag Iris with Black Swallowtails fluttering about. Below the cliffs in the sea, small flocks of puffins and other seabirds were fishing for food and Humpback Whales surfaced showing of their fins and tails as they dove down.
The Dungeon Provincial Park offers stunning views of rock formations on the rugged Newfoundland coastlines. In one area, a collapsed sea cave with a natural archway has been carved out by sea action. The park also claims to have wild horses that did not turn out to be very wild. When we stopped to try get a few pictures of the horses in a natural setting, they all came toward us and nosed their way right into our vehicle. They were down right pushy!
Bonavista town is a pretty place with ruggedly beautiful shorelines full of historic buildings, narrow streets and quaint houses.
It was a lot of area to pack into one day, but we sure had a fantastic time exploring the Bonavista Peninsula.
Humpback Whale Photo by Tony deGroot
