Tuesday 3 July – Day 5

Drove north from the hotel to the end of the paved road at Red Bay. River gorge on the way – spectacular. Quite a lot of fog lifting and falling … Ron, our driver, commented that “today we are going show you some of the best fog we have”.

At Red Bay fascinating presentation on the old Basque whalers who used the place. Boat across bay to island where they did the oil extraction – at least five Minke Whales in bay, later joined by dolphins, took our minds off archaeology for a while. They were circling schools of fish which gulls and terns were also taking advantage of. Two species of Scoters.

Then brief stop at the L’Anse Amour burial mound, which is the oldest such North America and dated some 7500 years old. Finally L’Anse Amour lighthouse, the tallest in Newfoundland and Labrador. Way too many steps to the top. One of the original Marconi stations was here. Interesting square rock formation on the shore was created by 530million year old fossilized algae – archaeocyathids for the record.

On the way back to hotel had spectacular views of two Ravens and a Rough-legged Hawk having a go at each other over a ridge with fabulous stoops and attacks from the hawk.

Birds of the day included:
Osprey, Belted Kingfisher, Wilson’s Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Coomon Loons, Purple Finch, Black Scoter, Surf Scoter, Rough-legged Hawks (2), Common Ravens, Pine Siskin, Tenessee Warbler, Herring Gulls, Common Redpolls, Northern Harrier (2), White-crowned Sparrow

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