Nova Scotia and Newfoundland Highlights

Nova Scotia and Newfoundland Highlights

By Carol Bowers

John and Carol Bowers report the highlights of their trip to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in May and June were the Black-Backed Woodpecker seen in Terra Nova National Park and the icebergs seen in the ocean while traveling on the road north to L’Ans Aux Meadows. The woodpecker, which eluded them on their trip to Alaska last year, was seen in the expected habitat: Two years ago the park executed a “controlled” burn that got out of control and wiped out three to four times more area than planned. The blaze also “ate” three fire trucks. Although there was no loss of human life, park staff was quite upset over the loss of forest. However, true to the saying “every cloud…”, the burn area has produced a wonderful habitat for the woodpecker. (Park staff recounted that a few months after the burn the Park Director was chagrined to receive an e-mail from a Newfoundland birder complimenting him on increasing BB woodpecker habitat!) After hiking a couple of miles along a fire road into the burn area with no luck, the Bowers’ were about to give up when the bird flew to a dead tree, extracted a grub—clearly seen in the beak--and flew off. A second sighting ten minutes later was further away but the distinctive call was heard. “The trip was wonderful,” Carol said, “but 42 degree highs with rain three days out of four got old. Even the local folks complained about the weather this June.” Newfoundland is about 2500 miles and a six hour (100 mile) ferry ride from Merritt Island. L’Anse Aux Meadows is the site of the first settlement of Europeans on the North American continent. They only stayed about 18 months before abandoning the settlement to return to Greenland. After days of rain, drizzle, fog and no sunlight, John and Carol began to see why the settlement was not a permanent one!