Sunday 1 July – Canada Day (Memorial Day in NL)

After pancake breakfast visited the lighthouse on the point overlooking Rocky Harbour. parks Canada operation with the nicest most informative and amusing guide imaginable – she came from a fishing village down the coast and had the accent and the style. Delightful.

Then to Western Brook Pond which is a 16 mile long landlocked fjord and not a pond at all. Magical trail walking in across bogs and pools and raised fresh with flowers everywhere … and hot sun. Could have spent all day walking that trail but could not. Next time for sure. Moose spoor, moose trails but no moose sadly.

Then Broom Point to visit an old summer fishing station and watch seabirds and seals – more of the same at St Pauls Bay with plenty of Tern activity. Two rafts of 20+ Eider chicks.

Finished up in Cows Head for a Lobster Dinner put on by the parishioners of the local church as a fundraiser. God it was good, the lobsts had come all of 200 yards from the sea and were so fresh they could have swum back again. The best ever – with plenty of home bakes, partridgeberry jam etc. Delicious.

A long but very enjoyable day. Beer before bed while writing this up … we have a 4am start tomorrow as there is a ferry to catch.

Some birds of the day included – American Robin, Herring Gull, Fox Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow (hundreds of them), Ring-billed Gull, Northern Gannet, Black-throated Green Warbler, Swamp Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, Swainsns Thrush, Yelloe-rumpled Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-capped Chickadee, Black and White Warbler, American Redstart, Mgnolia Warbler, Common Cormorant, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Eider, Pine Grosbeak (sitting on some lobster pots by the shore eating dandelion seeds), Tree Swallow, Surf Scoter … and a Gaggle of Canada Geese.