Cape Bonavista Lightouse - Puffins - Dungeon Provincial Park - Town of Bonavista, Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland

View out our back window

We head farther up the Bonavista Peninsula as far as we can physically drive and get a spot at the 'Landfall Municipal Park'. The back window of the trailer is facing the raw Atlantic Ocean for our stay here.

John Cabot as a neighbour

There is a coastal walk going both ways from our truck but we head towards the lighthouse as we have heard there are Puffins up here. 

Right beside us is a 'John Cabot' statue as he apparently made landfall on this coast on June 24th, 1497. Historians debate the exact spot, but Parks Canada and official designations mark 'Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland, as the traditional landing site.

Italian born-Giovanni Caboto-June 24th, 1497 landfall

There is no doubt in our minds why they fondly refer to Newfoundland as 'Da Rock'.

Cape Bonavista Lighthouse

Puffins flying around Bird Island

The small, distinct rocky island just offshore from the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse is called 'Bird Island'. It is home to a seasonal breeding colony of Atlantic puffins (Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial bird) as well as gulls and other coastal seabirds. 

Puffins at their burrow nests

Beautiful little birds

Puffins are amazing little seabirds known as 'sea parrots' or 'clowns of the sea'. They have dense bones and short stiff wings that allow them to 'fly' underwater to depths of 60 metres (200 feet) to chase schools of fish. Thus they spend most of their time far out at sea bobbing and hunting. In the spring they return to their colony, often staying with the same partner for over 20 years, and they build their nests by digging underground burrows in grassy cliff slopes. The female lays one egg and both parents take turns incubating the egg as well as bringing food once the chick hatches after about 40 days. 

Clowns of the Sea

These two photos are what they would look like if we had a telephoto lens...lol. Pictures of pictures. We feel very fortunate as even though it's getting late in the season (they head back out to sea this time of year), there are hundreds of them either bobbing in the water, flying circles over us or hopping about the cliff edge just across from us. So thankful we got to experience them as this is why we came all the way out here :)

Next we hop in the truck and drive the short distance along this rugged coast to Dungeon Provincial Park. It's a community pasture area that also has free camping along the ocean shores.

Sheep in the community pasture

 

The Dungeon

'The Dungeon' is the main rock formation out here, which is a large collapsed sea cave or sinkhole featuring natural arches open to the ocean.

Made of sandstone these groups of rocks were shaped by 10,000 years of North Atlantic wave erosion. 

Looking down inside the Dungeon hole

The Chimney

Further along in nearby Spillars Cove, we walk out to the narrow rock pillar known as 'The Chimney'. Unlike the sandstone layer making up most of this coast, The Chimney is a lone remnant of volcanic rock that has resisted millions of years of pounding Atlantic waves while softer cliffs washed away. The isolated, sheer pillar still serves as a vital nesting ground for local seabirds. It is clearly disintegrating too so who knows how long it will remain standing. 

What The Chimney would look like at sun rise - AI generated :)

Blueberry patches everywhere

Walking back to the truck we notice another huge blueberry patch so we stop and gorge by the handfuls. We have been told it's a stellar year for them this year...they are everywhere. Funnily we jokingly say now 'I'm not even bending over for those' as they are too small. The huge ones will be a step or two away :)

Town of Bonavista

A few more kilometres down the road is the Town of Bonavista where we head to sample some craft beers. We only have a pint each and the bill is $32. Yikes...our most expensive beer to date. 

Brew Pub

Bonavista Harbour

We walk the docks before the sunsets and then head back to the trailer for the night.