Puffins!

Our second day in St. John's, Newfoundland, and despite the very chilly, foggy, damp weather, we embarked upon a small boat excursion to Gull Island, part of the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. 
 
The reserve contains North America’s largest Atlantic Puffin colony. More than 260,000 pairs of the province’s official bird nest here during the late spring and summer.  I don't think we saw all 260,000 pairs, but we did see a very large number of these adorable little birds flying all around, swimming in the ocean, and sitting near their burrows on the grassy tops of the cliffs.  Always a delight and a thrill to see them!

We also saw gazillions of Common Murres (see extra), a couple of bald eagles, kittiwakes, herring gulls, black backed gulls, and one loon.