Newfoundland, Witless Bay Puffin Tour - June 2023

[Randy]

This is a must for anyone visiting Newfoundland. My wife and I did this tour almost exactly 10 years ago to the day. This time we had two daughters with us . This is a 1.5 to 2 hour boat tour to a rock full of breeding seabirds just offshore. Whales abound here as well - there were probably about 20 whales around (humpbacks and minkes). This island is also the second largest puffin colony in the world. Here are some photos!

Black-legged Kittiwakes:

Black-legged Kittiwake at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Black-legged Kittiwake at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Black-legged Kittiwake at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Common Murres:


Common Murre at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Common Murre at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Common Murre at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Thick-billed Murres were difficult to spot from the boat but I managed to find some when reviewing my photos. They are mainly identifiable by their jet black colour vs the charcoal colour of Common Murres. A whitish gape may also be noticeable.


Thick-billed Murre at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Thick-billed Murre at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


There were some groups of razorbills as well - one of my favourite seabirds:


Razorbill at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Razorbill at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


I also spotted a handful of Northern Gannets but photo opportunities were poor:


Northern Gannet at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


A Herring Gull:


Herring Gull at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


And of course the highlight of the trip, puffins!!


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker


Atlantic Puffin at Witless Bay Eco. Reserve--Gull Island by Randy Walker

[kestrel]

Sounds like a fantastic trip! My parents and I did a Witless Bay boat tour too, last year.

[merlinator]

What a great trip. Who did you go with and are you allowed on the island?

[Randy]

Jul 23, 2023 17:15:21 GMT -8 merlinator said:

What a great trip. Who did you go with and are you allowed on the island?

We did Gatherall's this time as well as 10 years ago when we went. Both trips were equally fantastic.

You cannot go onto the island with any tour as far as I know.

[kenneth2019]

We went once, great to see. Witless Bay Ecological Reserve is a researchers only area and then there are strict access controls. There were researchers at the Puffin colony when we were there.

[ed]

Great reports of Nfld. Birding places outside of our own area is a lot of fun. On our trip to the East side of Can I believe it was on the Gaspe Peninsula we took a boat out to a huge bird colony. I bombed on a special excursion to a Puffin Colony, took my chance that I would find one randomly. It flew into my field of vision while scanning for Razorbills a one and only!